What Did You Do to Your RX3 Today? - Page 13

2LZ · 05-30-2016, 11:17 AM

Since we bought these (very slightly) used, I changed the oil to a "known good" 15/40 dino oil for the remainder of the break-in period plus adjusted the chain and aligned the wheel. The chain was way too tight. The new oil quieted down the motor and also, the little mystery whine was gone. These things really let you know when the chain's too tight.

rtking · 05-31-2016, 12:12 AM

I followed Spud's and other's advice to check the bolts on the fuel pump and to bend the arm for the fuel level float today. On my ride today, I saw the low fuel warning come on with 119 miles on the tank. I know it's conservative, but that's a bit too conservative! I bent the float arm so that it was almost parallel with the base of the fuel level sender per Spud's advice. This should give me a more accurate fuel reading. I'll run it until it's showing empty and fill-up to confirm amount remaining in tank.

Also, thanks to Spud and others on this forum, I checked my fuel pump bolts. They were a bit more than finger tight, but not much more. I tightened those a little more (taking note not to over-crush the brown O-ring gasket.)

rjmorel · 06-02-2016, 12:28 AM

Rode Memorial Day with a bunch of Harley's . Great fun on the twisties of Oregon's Rattlesnake Hwy3. Never rode a big Harley but they must be a lot of bike to herd through mountain twisties as I had to wait for them to come off the mountain. The Rx3 was a hoot. Only time I wished I had more bike was chasing them up long mountain hills.
I rode most of the day with my headed jacket liner and heated grips on and the 300watt alternator kept up fine. Also was trying out my new seat that CSC sells that I think is gel and it was a big improvement over stock. I was also trying my new "Motoskivees" undies that have padding for ADV type riding. Wanted to give all this stuff a shakedown before the weekend of the 18th when I hope to do a Iron Butt 1000 on it.
So I have a few questions that came to mind when I was riding about electronics that I thought about but are above my paygrade so I thought I'd run them by you guys.
1)What happens to all that electricity if I don't use my heated stuff? Where does it go? Tires are rubber so it can't go to the ground. I know some of it charges the battery but where does all the extra go?
2) Does bike use more gas and or power to run the heated stuff? Like an air conditioner on a car when kicked in? Bike didn't seem to care if they were on or off, ran the same.
3) Does running a bunch of extra electrical load heat up and wear out the alternator? I have a friend who is on his 3rd alternator on his BMW 650gs with 130,000 miles on it.
All in all a good day but now I have a code in my nosed, rj

pyoungbl · 06-02-2016, 07:47 AM

rj, the extra electrons are converted to heat by the regulator/rectifier. That's why it is best to have the R/R in a spot where it gets good air flow. You are not hurting anything by running the heated gear. I have a volt meter wired into my RX3 and when I crank up my heated liner there is only the slightest dip in voltage, maybe .01V. I doubt there is any significant change in fuel mileage either. Most electrical generation problems are heat related. If the alternator or R/R get hot you get higher resistance and melted wires. That might be the problem with your friend's BMW. As I recall, Triumph had a similar problem with the 800s.

dpl096 · 06-02-2016, 10:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pyoungbl

rj, the extra electrons are converted to heat by the regulator/rectifier. That's why it is best to have the R/R in a spot where it gets good air flow. You are not hurting anything by running the heated gear. I have a volt meter wired into my RX3 and when I crank up my heated liner there is only the slightest dip in voltage, maybe .01V. I doubt there is any significant change in fuel mileage either. Most electrical generation problems are heat related. If the alternator or R/R get hot you get higher resistance and melted wires. That might be the problem with your friend's BMW. As I recall, Triumph had a similar problem with the 800s.

no....no....no... Every Trek fan knows the unused electrons are collected in the energy capacitor and used on the bike's inertial dampeners and deflector shields to obliterate airborne debris and bugs from striking you in the face

Sorry PY .. couldnt resist

Now back to your regularly scheduled CR programming.

2LZ · 06-02-2016, 10:59 AM

rj, is that the gel filled seat cover they sell on the CSC website that you have? I've been looking at that....and also at an Air Hawk for about 90.00. Does it fit well and stay in place? How many hours in the saddle before "road butt" started to creep in?

Regarding your Harley friends....we used to tell people who road more performance bikes with us on our a Harleys, "Sure, you're faster...which means you get to reserve the barstools for us. We'll be along shortly."

Also, don't burst your friends bubble and tell him his BMW 650 motor is made by Loncin in China. That really kills 'em. ;-)

rjmorel · 06-02-2016, 01:24 PM

"rj, is that the gel filled seat cover they sell on the CSC website that you have? I've been looking at that....and also at an Air Hawk for about 90.00. Does it fit well and stay in place? How many hours in the saddle before "road butt" started to creep in?"

I bought the driver and passenger set they sold that was a little skinnier. Not real sure if its Gel but it feels like gel???? On stock seat I would start squirming in 2-3 hours. I rode all day with the new seat and my motoskivees undies and was impressed at the improvement. If you ride behind me you would see that I'm standing up, pumping my leg and feet muscles every hour or so just to keep blood flowing when on the bike all day. rj

detours · 06-02-2016, 11:57 PM

I've been running a 13T/45T combination to provide off-road gearing, but I haven't been happy with its on-pavement performance. Today I intended to put the 14T back on. 14/45 is still shorter than stock, and when I need extra low gearing I'd switch out for the 13T.

But I simply could not get the countershaft sprocket nut off. Gerry and his crew really torqued it on when they installed my new engine. Maybe they used red loctite too. Eventually I gave up, pulled the rear wheel and reinstalled the stock 44T rear.

So for now, I'm back to 13/44. I won't have the extra low gearing I wanted, but the highway performance I need is back.

rjmorel · 06-07-2016, 04:06 PM

today with all the bright sun I thought I would take off my instrument cover and see about taking off the darkened mast that makes it hard to see lights in day light. It's the black thingy below the redline side of the tach. Easy peasy to do. 100% better to see. What where you thinking Zong?
1)unbolt instrument cluster, unhook cable connection
2)unscrew 6 screws that hold instrument face onto speedo body
3) take a razor blade or sharp knife and break off the flash on the 2 pins that hold mask on. Don't break pins if you want to ever reinstall the mask.
4) remove mask and keep it in your owner's manual for future what ever.
5)reassemble in reverse order.

woodlandsprite · 06-07-2016, 05:14 PM

Thanks for the clear photos and instructions, RJ!

what on earth is that mask made of?
How do you like the instrument panel now that the mask has been liberated?

rjmorel · 06-07-2016, 05:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by woodlandsprite

Thanks for the clear photos and instructions, RJ!

what on earth is that mask made of?
How do you like the instrument panel now that the mask has been liberated?

Wood, I think it is just a clear silk screened plastic that they have masked the symbols for turn sigs, high beam, engine oil, low gas etc . Overall it reminds me of the 70's jap bikes I learned on that you could clearly see the instrument lights brightly on.
I like it so far and is night and day difference. I can see them through my smoke helmet visor very easily in this 98 deg sunlight. Only caveat may be riding at night for long distances high beam indicator may get annoying so I will just put a small piece of electrical tape temporarily over it if it becomes a problem next week on the Iron Butt. rj

detours · 06-07-2016, 07:38 PM

Thanks for the write-up!

I'm curious ... does that plastic plate have a dark plastic film you can peel off of the symbols? Or is it a choice between dark symbols and bright lights with no symbols?

rjmorel · 06-07-2016, 08:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by detours

Thanks for the write-up!

I'm curious ... does that plastic plate have a dark plastic film you can peel off of the symbols? Or is it a choice between dark symbols and bright lights with no symbols?

I can't peel either side of it. One side looks like a dull black silk screen of the symbols, the other side is a frosted black that doesn't peel either. If you put the mask either side down on a white sheet of paper you can't see the symbols. If you hold a flashlight behind it you can see all the symbols clearly.
So my "fly by the seat of your pants, need-a-loan", University Doctorate guess is it is magical and comes from another planet technology.

So yes I'm thinking choice is dark symbols or bright lights and no symbols. rj

Jay In Milpitas · 06-07-2016, 08:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rjmorel

I can't peel either side of it. One side looks like a dull black silk screen of the symbols, the other side is a frosted black that doesn't peel either. rj

So the solid black side doesn't peel, but I wonder if it can be gently scraped? Thinking just enough to allow the light to illuminate the symbols more than what they are as supplied? It looks as if the solid black is facing out, is that correct?

rjmorel · 06-08-2016, 12:10 AM

I don't have it in front of me any more but if I remember right , the frosted black faces out and the dull black that you can make out the symbols on faces in. If you could remove the black from the frosted front side , the symbols would still be on the back side so maybe you have the right idea Jay.
When I looked at it under a microscope it seems like it started out as a clear piece of thin plastic. Then they frost the front like sandblast texture and painted black? Then silk screened the back side with the symbols.
Maybe we got the military version with the blacked out instrument lights so the drones can't see us??????
I'm headed out tomorrow for a ADV Wallowa Hell's Canyon rally so will be able to see if I still like it w/o the mask. Which I think I will. It just seems "normal" now to me and the lack of symbols is easy to get use to. Then next weekend after I'll try them on my Iron Butt attempt on the RX3. So that will give me night time riding to test them. rj

05-30-2016, 11:17 AM	#181
2LZ Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Volcano, Ca Posts: 7,065	Since we bought these (very slightly) used, I changed the oil to a "known good" 15/40 dino oil for the remainder of the break-in period plus adjusted the chain and aligned the wheel. The chain was way too tight. The new oil quieted down the motor and also, the little mystery whine was gone. These things really let you know when the chain's too tight. __________________ "Light a fire for a man, and you heat him for a day. Light a man on fire, and you heat him for the rest of his life." 2007 Suzuki DRZ400S (SM convert) 2009 Q Link XP 200 1967 BSA B25 250cc Starfire 2022 Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 2023 Royal Enfield Scram 411 1948 Royal Enfield Model G 350
	3

06-02-2016, 12:28 AM	#183
rjmorel Join Date: May 2007 Location: Warshington Posts: 928	Rode Memorial Day with a bunch of Harley's . Great fun on the twisties of Oregon's Rattlesnake Hwy3. Never rode a big Harley but they must be a lot of bike to herd through mountain twisties as I had to wait for them to come off the mountain. The Rx3 was a hoot. Only time I wished I had more bike was chasing them up long mountain hills. I rode most of the day with my headed jacket liner and heated grips on and the 300watt alternator kept up fine. Also was trying out my new seat that CSC sells that I think is gel and it was a big improvement over stock. I was also trying my new "Motoskivees" undies that have padding for ADV type riding. Wanted to give all this stuff a shakedown before the weekend of the 18th when I hope to do a Iron Butt 1000 on it. So I have a few questions that came to mind when I was riding about electronics that I thought about but are above my paygrade so I thought I'd run them by you guys. 1)What happens to all that electricity if I don't use my heated stuff? Where does it go? Tires are rubber so it can't go to the ground. I know some of it charges the battery but where does all the extra go? 2) Does bike use more gas and or power to run the heated stuff? Like an air conditioner on a car when kicked in? Bike didn't seem to care if they were on or off, ran the same. 3) Does running a bunch of extra electrical load heat up and wear out the alternator? I have a friend who is on his 3rd alternator on his BMW 650gs with 130,000 miles on it. All in all a good day but now I have a code in my nosed, rj __________________ Live Zong, and Prosper
	2

06-02-2016, 10:59 AM	#186
2LZ Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Volcano, Ca Posts: 7,065	rj, is that the gel filled seat cover they sell on the CSC website that you have? I've been looking at that....and also at an Air Hawk for about 90.00. Does it fit well and stay in place? How many hours in the saddle before "road butt" started to creep in? Regarding your Harley friends....we used to tell people who road more performance bikes with us on our a Harleys, "Sure, you're faster...which means you get to reserve the barstools for us. We'll be along shortly." Also, don't burst your friends bubble and tell him his BMW 650 motor is made by Loncin in China. That really kills 'em. ;-) __________________ "Light a fire for a man, and you heat him for a day. Light a man on fire, and you heat him for the rest of his life." 2007 Suzuki DRZ400S (SM convert) 2009 Q Link XP 200 1967 BSA B25 250cc Starfire 2022 Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 2023 Royal Enfield Scram 411 1948 Royal Enfield Model G 350
	1

06-02-2016, 01:24 PM	#187
rjmorel Join Date: May 2007 Location: Warshington Posts: 928	"rj, is that the gel filled seat cover they sell on the CSC website that you have? I've been looking at that....and also at an Air Hawk for about 90.00. Does it fit well and stay in place? How many hours in the saddle before "road butt" started to creep in?" I bought the driver and passenger set they sold that was a little skinnier. Not real sure if its Gel but it feels like gel???? On stock seat I would start squirming in 2-3 hours. I rode all day with the new seat and my motoskivees undies and was impressed at the improvement. If you ride behind me you would see that I'm standing up, pumping my leg and feet muscles every hour or so just to keep blood flowing when on the bike all day. rj __________________ Live Zong, and Prosper
	1

06-02-2016, 11:57 PM	#188
detours Join Date: Sep 2014 Location: Arvada, CO Posts: 1,004	I've been running a 13T/45T combination to provide off-road gearing, but I haven't been happy with its on-pavement performance. Today I intended to put the 14T back on. 14/45 is still shorter than stock, and when I need extra low gearing I'd switch out for the 13T. But I simply could not get the countershaft sprocket nut off. Gerry and his crew really torqued it on when they installed my new engine. Maybe they used red loctite too. Eventually I gave up, pulled the rear wheel and reinstalled the stock 44T rear. So for now, I'm back to 13/44. I won't have the extra low gearing I wanted, but the highway performance I need is back. __________________ Red 5 standing by! 2015 CSC red RX3 with 19" front wheel, Shinko 804/805, skid plate, tall seat, 13T/45T sprockets, progressive shock, Winyoochanok windshield, GENSSI LED headlight, SW-Motech tankbag, Shorai Lithium battery 2014 Ural Patrol
	1

05-31-2016, 12:12 AM	#182
rtking Join Date: Sep 2014 Location: Orange County, CA Posts: 410	I followed Spud's and other's advice to check the bolts on the fuel pump and to bend the arm for the fuel level float today. On my ride today, I saw the low fuel warning come on with 119 miles on the tank. I know it's conservative, but that's a bit too conservative! I bent the float arm so that it was almost parallel with the base of the fuel level sender per Spud's advice. This should give me a more accurate fuel reading. I'll run it until it's showing empty and fill-up to confirm amount remaining in tank. Also, thanks to Spud and others on this forum, I checked my fuel pump bolts. They were a bit more than finger tight, but not much more. I tightened those a little more (taking note not to over-crush the brown O-ring gasket.)
	4

06-02-2016, 07:47 AM	#184
pyoungbl Join Date: Feb 2016 Location: Portsmouth, Virginia, USA Posts: 632	rj, the extra electrons are converted to heat by the regulator/rectifier. That's why it is best to have the R/R in a spot where it gets good air flow. You are not hurting anything by running the heated gear. I have a volt meter wired into my RX3 and when I crank up my heated liner there is only the slightest dip in voltage, maybe .01V. I doubt there is any significant change in fuel mileage either. Most electrical generation problems are heat related. If the alternator or R/R get hot you get higher resistance and melted wires. That might be the problem with your friend's BMW. As I recall, Triumph had a similar problem with the 800s.
	1

06-07-2016, 04:06 PM	#189
rjmorel Join Date: May 2007 Location: Warshington Posts: 928	Blinded by the lights today with all the bright sun I thought I would take off my instrument cover and see about taking off the darkened mast that makes it hard to see lights in day light. It's the black thingy below the redline side of the tach. Easy peasy to do. 100% better to see. What where you thinking Zong? 1)unbolt instrument cluster, unhook cable connection 2)unscrew 6 screws that hold instrument face onto speedo body 3) take a razor blade or sharp knife and break off the flash on the 2 pins that hold mask on. Don't break pins if you want to ever reinstall the mask. 4) remove mask and keep it in your owner's manual for future what ever. 5)reassemble in reverse order. __________________ Live Zong, and Prosper
	5

06-07-2016, 05:14 PM	#190
woodlandsprite Join Date: Apr 2015 Posts: 366	Thanks for the clear photos and instructions, RJ! what on earth is that mask made of? How do you like the instrument panel now that the mask has been liberated?
	0

06-07-2016, 07:38 PM	#192
detours Join Date: Sep 2014 Location: Arvada, CO Posts: 1,004	Thanks for the write-up! I'm curious ... does that plastic plate have a dark plastic film you can peel off of the symbols? Or is it a choice between dark symbols and bright lights with no symbols? __________________ Red 5 standing by! 2015 CSC red RX3 with 19" front wheel, Shinko 804/805, skid plate, tall seat, 13T/45T sprockets, progressive shock, Winyoochanok windshield, GENSSI LED headlight, SW-Motech tankbag, Shorai Lithium battery 2014 Ural Patrol
	0

06-08-2016, 12:10 AM	#195
rjmorel Join Date: May 2007 Location: Warshington Posts: 928	I don't have it in front of me any more but if I remember right , the frosted black faces out and the dull black that you can make out the symbols on faces in. If you could remove the black from the frosted front side , the symbols would still be on the back side so maybe you have the right idea Jay. When I looked at it under a microscope it seems like it started out as a clear piece of thin plastic. Then they frost the front like sandblast texture and painted black? Then silk screened the back side with the symbols. Maybe we got the military version with the blacked out instrument lights so the drones can't see us?????? I'm headed out tomorrow for a ADV Wallowa Hell's Canyon rally so will be able to see if I still like it w/o the mask. Which I think I will. It just seems "normal" now to me and the lack of symbols is easy to get use to. Then next weekend after I'll try them on my Iron Butt attempt on the RX3. So that will give me night time riding to test them. rj __________________ Live Zong, and Prosper
	2