Reason to use a sealed battery

This is the battery box from my 1981 Kawasaki Gpz550. It wasn't obvious from the top with the battery in place. but careful inspection showed it to be rusted completely through some of the supports.

Luckily I found a fairly un-rusted one on eBay and will refinish it an install... probably with a lightweight lithium battery. ;-)

____________
Follow up!
I bought a only slightly rusted replacement battery box from ebay and had it blasted clean and powder coated. Relatively expensive, but this thing is a complex shape to wire wheel clean and I figured the powder coat might be more durable than the original paint. Came out looking brand new.

Tunes for the car

This isn't a vintage post, so skip this one if that's your interest!
I have a massive libray of music, as my wife and I rip every cd we buy onto our music server. We use flac as that gives us a complete lossless copy of the original CD. However the files are giant, and are not suitable for loading on your portable audio devices. I use a program called dBpoweramp for ripping and I do a bulk transcode of the entire library down into a smaller format.
Interestingly I had my ears tested lately and happily they are still fine. But I have lost some of the upper end of my hearing as all of us do (unfortunately!) as we age. I can't hear the dog whistles any more. ;-)
Here is a fun site to test the upper range of your hearing if you are curious:
http://www.noiseaddicts.com/2009/03/can-you-hear-this-hearing-test/

At any rate, I decided it was time to re-evaluate how low I transcode my flac files to mp3. "Back in the day" mp3 files used to all be encoded at constant rate... and those tended to really be poor quality sound. It was pretty typical for people to rip mp3 at 320kbps to maintain good sound. These days with a quality encoder (lame) using a variable bit rate you can get pretty fair quality sound at relatively low bit rates.
There is a fun article on whether high bit rates are worth the space here:
www.maximumpc.com/article/do_higher_mp3_bit_rates_pay_off 
That article really convinced me to try a lower bit rate.

Since our library is massive, and I hoped to get as much as possible of it onto our portable media, I decided to go for the lowest bit rate I could hope would still be adequate. Using lame (built into dBpoweramp) I decided to try the default setting:
-v4
that means a target bit rate of around 160 bps.
Googling around, that seemed to be a good number. Interestingly, back in the day of CBR, I wouldn't have considered such a low bit rate. But with VBR it's pretty good.

At any rate, once I ran the transcode overnight, I ended up with a library of around 40GB. Still big, but I can fit most of it on a 32GB microSD.

And look at this cool little gadget I found:

Its a cool little USB microSD card reader that holds the microSD right in the connector! What great industrial design. Under $10 on Amazon.

This thing is nice and tiny and fits right in the little USB port in our cars glovebox. A long usb stick would have been hanging out too far, this little one is perfect. It's hard to see in the picture below but it doesn't stick out any more than the plastic cap on the USB port.

So cool, I now have about 6000 tracks easily accessible on the car stereo! Since I arrange my music in folders by genre/artist/album/track its pretty easy to navigate through the music with the stock head unit.

Front Stand for a Old Bike

Needed to put new tires on my recently acquired 1981 Kawasaki GPz550... found the typical modern front lift stand wouldn't fit (too wide for forks made for old school wheels and tires). But Cycle Gear has a cheap front stand on sale, and I found one of them (measured 5!) was narrow enough for the GPz. Actually, I probably could have bent any of them to fit.
It kind of worked but lifted the front end with too much pressure on the fork oil drain point. The problem was the pivoting platform didn't pivot back far enough. So I ground the bracket down and the problem was solved.

Note that you need to remove the rear wheel first and to be very careful when lifting to not pull the bike forward off of the center stand! (I do have a couple rear stands, but can't get them under the swing arm with the stock exhausts.)

Motorcycle Wheel Alignment

I just aligned the wheels on a new old motorcycle I just acquired. This is one of those activities that is an arcane procedure.
I dug up an old post I made to the ducati mailing list in the mid 1990's about this.

The "Thread Method"
I've always aligned my wheels the way I saw Rich Oliver do it on his TZ250 years ago. I think this way is standard "racer" practice. Put bike on service stand. Take about 15 feet of string (elastic thread works best!). Tape center of string to back of the rear wheel about 4" off the ground. Bring the ends of the string to the front of the bike. Tie the ends of the string to some movable objects (I use a pair of jack stands), at the same height (4"). The idea is to set the strings so they are parallel and "just" in contact to the front edge rear tire by moving the jack stands. With the strings taped to the back of the rear tire, and "just" touching the front edge of the rear tire, they should make two parallel lines that run forward, passing along either side of the front tire. Now the alignment of the front and rear wheels can be easily observed by examining the clearance of the front wheel and the string on either side. Adjust the chain adjuster appropriately if necessary, and then recheck. It's a pain to do the first time, but then it gets easy. Use the thinnest, elastic thread you can find. Also, try rotating the rear wheel to several points to make sure you aren't just adjusting for uneven tire manufacture. And make sure the thread isn't on some bump of "mold seam" rubber or in a tread at the edge of the tire. This would screw up everything. Obviously, this method ignores how the chain and sprockets are aligned, and focuses on how the wheels and tires are aligned. I can imagine that having the sprockets and wheels aligned simultaneously may not be possible, and I'd rather have the wheels lined up. When using this procedure on my '92 750SS, a quarter turn of one of the chain adjusters is quite significant. When complete, the adjusters appear to be at even marks at either side of the bike, indicating adequate manufacturing. However, a quarter turns seams to effect the alignment significantly, but is just about invisible in relation to the adjuster marks.

The "ProAligner"
There is a relatively new gizmo available to help riders to align there wheels, its called the ProAligner. What I quickly found, is that I had trouble using the ProAligner on my oldest vintage bikes. The tires are very narrow (2.50" or 2.75"  by 19) and have the same size front and rear. One might say that you could in theory just sight down the tires even without the ProAligner, but I have trouble with that. I ended up doing those old bikes with my old and reliable thread method.

Today, I aligned the wheels on my newly aquired 1981 GPz 550. It came to me with the tires visibly way out of alignment. Investigation showed that the plastic chain guard had warped so it hit the tire, and some previous owner had "fixed" this problem by tweaking the chain adjusters until the tire was clear of the guard!
The GPz has a 3.25 x 19 front and a 3.75 x 19 rear. I quickly tried out the Proaligner and saw how it would work, but this time had a bit of trouble with my vision sighting down the tires. It occured to me that the bigger the difference in tire size, the easier the aligner would be to use. Frankly, I again went back to my old thread method.  Having done it that way for 30 years, I'm just very comfortable with that. After getting the wheels spot on with the thread, I pulled the ProAligner back out and tried it again. Lo and behold, the ProAligner also showed the wheels perfectly aligned.
(A note here, with the wheels aligned, I note that the hash marks on the chain adjusters are not even on both sides. This is typical, especially on older bikes. That's why some of us don't trust the chain adjuster marks.)

My thoughts? The ProAligner is a great gadget, especially for those with laser vision, no experience with thread, and tires that differ significantly in size from front to rear. Its certainly easy to see when the tires are way out of alignment. But if the tires are similar in size, it is delicate, and requires a really sharp eyeball to tell the small differences between each side of the tire. The ProAligner web site claims accuracy to "less than 0.1 inch (2.5mm)". That's possible, but, well I'd have trouble getting it that close. It's not just about being able to sight down the ires, you also have to adjust your focus from the front tire to the rear tire, and not move when you do that. I'd say getting to within 5mm or 3/16" would be pretty do-able with good vision.

For me, an engineer and long time rider and thread aligner, I don't see the ProAligner as much more (or any more) accurate than the thread method. But I don't think it's any less accurate either! With the thread, you really have to be very careful to get it to just touch/miss the front edge of the rear tire and to not "bend" the thread. With the Pro Aligner, you have to sight down the tire just right, adjust your focus carefully, and really see the hash marks.

I think if the tires (front and rear) are close to the same in size, or if I want to align the tires very, very close to perfect, the thread works better for me.

But, I'd say, that if you are double checking an alignment that was already done (assuming differing front and rear tire sizes) the ProAligner is quicker and easier. I'd also say, that if the tires are way out of alignment, the ProAligner would be quicker to get the wheels somewhat aligned, as there is no hassle with thread.

And if you have sharp vision, and no experience with the thread, the ProAligner might be the way to go. If you can "see" it, it's pretty foolproof. The thread system takes some time to learn. Then again, if you have trouble with it, don't hesitate to try the thread method.

Carl

The legacy of the DKW RT-125, the origins of an industry?

I've been amused by all the bikes that were derivatives of the DKW RT-125. Most recently Yamaha produced a concept bike, the Y125. This is an imitation of their first motorcycle, the YA-1. And that was a copy of the legendary DKW RT-125.
Just compare these pics:

The 2011 Yamaha Y125 Concept bike

The original 1955 Yamaha YA-1

The 1954 DKW RT-125

And the ORIGINAL 1939 DKW RT 125

For the record, the 1939 DKW RT 125 was a great design by Hermann Weber.

It appears that after WW2, the design of the DKW 125RT was open to anyone who wanted it. Some manufacturers aded it to their product portfolio, but other companies were started with that very bike as the first product.

From Wikipedia:

The RT 125' is a German two-stroke motorcycle made by DKW in Zschopau in the 1930s, IFA and MZ in the 1950s and early 1960s, and DKW in Ingolstadt in the 1950s and 1960s. "RT" stands for "Reichstyp" or "National Model".

In the 1930s DKW pioneered the Schnürle two-stroke loop scavenging process to dispense with the use of a deflector piston and improve efficiency of the combustion chamber. DKW also developed a highly efficient arrangement of transfer ports. These two features were included in the RT 125 to great commercial advantage. Competitor companies such as Adler and TWN copied the adoption of flat-topped pistons and strove to develop equally transfer port arrangements without infringing DKW's patent.
The RT 125 is probably the most copied motorcycle of all time. After World War II the Soviet Union took plans, tooling and even several dozen personnel as war reparations to MMZin Moscow (later transferred to MMVZ and SMZ) and to a factory in Kovrov, and produced copies of the RT125 as the M1A Moskva and K-125 respectively. WFM of Poland made a modified version of the RT125 (under SHL 125 and Sokół 125 brands), developed into 125/175 cc family motorcycles, produced until 1985. RT 125 plans were also taken to the United Kingdom where they became the basis of the BSA Bantam, and to the USA where they formed the basis of the Harley-Davidson "Hummer". Later Yamaha in Japan copied the RT 125 as the basis of the Yamaha YA-1.

Here is an array of shots some of these copies.

An American 1948 Harley Hummer

The English 1948 BSA Bantam

The Soviet 1946 Moskva M1A

An Italian 1950 MiVal 125T

A German 1941 NSU 125 ZDB

An Italian 1954 Maserati L/125/T2  (Italmoto). Its hard to see in this shot, but the Maserati engine is just like all the others. The frame is a bit more modern.

The first Italian Moto Morini, the 125 Turismo. Thile the top end is the same, the gearbox appears to have a different from the DKW.

The first Italian MV Agusta, the 98 Turismo. Looks like a DKW top end but again with a different gearbox.

An Italian 1948 Sterzi 125 Turismo

The first Japanese Kawasaki Motorcycle, 1955 Kawasaki (Meihatsu) 125

A Norwegian 1954 Tempo

The Czech 1949 Jawa 125

The Hungarian Csepel 125

There are lots more, google these up if you want to see more bikes closely related to the DKW RT 125.

Peugeot 55
Motoconfort 125
Triumph BDG125
James Comet 125
Sokół WSK M01, M06
SHL M02, M03, M04
Royal Enfield WD/RE Flying Flea 

On Coolant and Antifreeze

Sharing some info I’ve learned today...

I’m fixing my bent radiator on my dirt bike, a 2010 Husqvarna TE250, and decided I should get some new coolant. And I noticed the stuff in the radiator now is blue. Hmm, that’s different from he green I’m used too!

Apparently my manual recommends Castrol Motorcycle Coolant, and I read the earlier Husqvarnas used to call for AGIP Cool Antifreeze. I found little info about these and was unable to tell what color they are, and they aren’t easy to find where I live. I suspect these are Ethylene Glycol based but I couldn’t find a spec for the AGIP stuff.

And I saw some mention that the original blue fluid might be G11, apparently a European spec antifreeze, and that is apparently blue. It is also not easily available near me (even the local German car dealer has apparently moved to something pink in color, maybe G12).

Now importantly, some of the sources I read said not to mix the blue G11 coolant with an Ethylene Glycol based coolant. Maybe bogus, but it sounds to me like the safest thing to do is to just flush the old blue stuff and put in something that I know what it is.

I also found this interesting article by Dave Kimmey, the President of Engine Ice. Obviously a biased source, but much of the info still seemed good and informative. After reading it I decided to go with Engine Ice, especially as I ride in the desert. I don’t care so much about antifreeze, but I do want better cooling performance if it’s possible.

Here is Dave Kimmey's article, for what it’s worth:

Since it's starting to warm up and you folks will be getting your bikes out of moth balls, I thought I'd take a minute to give you some information and education about antifreeze/coolant products as well as some insight as to what coolants actually are and what their true purpose is.


Now, being from Engine Ice, I am a bit biased and I admit it. However, most all of the products on the market are excellent products, but each has various uses and applications for them. We produce Engine Ice for specific high intensity and high heat applications. It really is not designed as an “everyday” coolant; it is for racing or high temperature applications. However, it can be used as an everyday coolant with no problem


There are two basic types of coolant/antifreeze, Ethylene Glycol (EG) and Propylene Glycol (PG) and then there are surfactant products such as Water Wetter from Red Line for example. All of the products mentioned are good products, just offering different things.


Ethylene Glycol (EG) – This is basically your “Prestone” type of products. Maxima’s Coolinol, Pro Honda Coolant and Spectro Coolant are examples of this type of product. It is basically the same as the coolant/antifreeze product you can buy at the auto parts store, but “silicate-free.” This is important, don’t get the stuff from the auto parts store unless it’s silicate free. Most are pre-diluted for easy use; they are diluted with a more pure distilled water or deionized water (deionized water is explained below). This is better water than what you can buy at the grocery store.


You really shouldn’t call an EG-based product a “coolant,” an “anti-boil” product would be more accurate. EG is made very cheaply and its primary purpose is to eliminate boil-over and to keep your system from freezing up. That’s basically it. It is not designed to actually reduce temperatures. If you are driving a car or a cruiser-type bike that does not have a temperature issue, these are fine products.


Water Wetter - It is an additive product. Water Wetter is what is called a “surfactant.” What this means is that it reduces the surface tension of the water or in other words, it allows the water/fluid to “rub” closer to the metal allowing it to better draw off heat. Water Wetter works and it is good stuff. However, if you add it to an EG antifreeze product your results are minimal. It will reduce temperatures, but by only a small amount. Added to water, you will see a significant difference in temperature reduction. But it will not raise the boil point of the water nor does it offer any antifreeze protection. So your engine may run a bit cooler, but when it gets hot it will “spit out” the coolant before other products do. That is not good, because now you’ll have less coolant in the engine. Using more than the recommended amount (4 capfuls to a quart) is a waste and it will not make any difference, only use their recommended amount.


Water alone is not recommended. You do need to add some type of water additive to it. Water alone is corrosive and it does not keep your seals, gaskets, water pump and water pump impeller shaft lubricated enough. Make sure something is added to water, do not run it all by itself.


I would not recommend Dex-Cool (the orange stuff). All reports and tests that I have heard of have not been good. It can "gel." It also has a tendency to clog up a motorcycle system. The radiator core and the system itself of a motorcycle is smaller when compared to an auto. I would avoid Dex-Cool and choose any other product before I'd recommend anyone using it.


Propylene Glycol (PG) – This is what Engine Ice Hi-Performance Coolant and Evans Coolant is made of. Evans is 100% PG and has an extremely high boil point of well over 350oF. They recommend you make some mechanical changes to your system, such as a zero psi cap or a different radiator in order to use it. Their goal is to eliminate boil-over, not to reduce temperatures. At their recommended 100% PG use, you’d have a boil point in excess of 350oF. At 100% PG, it would not be as effective at dissipating heat from your engine as well as it has a higher viscosity. Water is the ultimate coolant. All coolant products are measured against water for its heat dissipation capabilities. The lack of water in the use of Evans greatly reduces its ability to cool your engine. If you’re running heavy equipment or an 18-wheel truck, Evans is probably a good product.


Engine Ice is a diluted ratio of PG and Deionized water. The process of de-ionizing water eliminates all of the impurities that can do harm to your cooling system. Regardless if you are using tap, bottled, distilled, spring or R/O (reverse osmosis) waters, it can still contain minute particles of iron, magnesium, rust, lime and calcium. Many of these waters also contain chemicals, such as chlorine, fluorides and acids. Want proof? Take two different brands of distilled waters and perform your own taste test. They each taste different don’t they? If water were water, why would they be different? It’s because of the varying amounts of chemicals and minerals in these waters. These minerals and chemicals are what is the cause of scarring, scaling and mineral build-ups in your cooling system. Many also attribute these minerals and chemicals to water pump seal and gasket failures.


Engine Ice was developed and tested in the heat and humidity of Southern Florida. Tests have proven to reduce operating race temperatures by as much as 50oF in some situations. PG is a lubricant and is a surfactant in itself, meaning it has more capability to draw away more heat than EG-based products and even Water Wetter. It is biodegradable and non-toxic. It will not kill your dog, nor will it kill the plant life at your favorite track or trail. It is also legal in AMA, CCS and FUSA road racing.


Engine Ice has won over 275 National Championship Titles over the last two and a half years including the 2001 AMA 125cc West Supercross Championship with Ernesto Fonseca on the Yamaha of Troy YZ250F and in 2002 Chad Reed in the 125cc West Supercross Championship. You can bet that Yamaha Motor Corporation did extensive testing on Engine Ice prior to putting in into their premier bike in its debut year. It is also used an endorsed by the American Suzuki Amateur Motocross Program. Engine Ice sponsored racer, Darren Luck, won nine (9) CCS class championships in 2002 as well as earned the CCS Florida Expert #1 plate by the largest margin ever. Racers using Engine Ice won seven CCS Race of Champions National Championships at Daytona in 2001 and won an additional eight (8) in 2002.


As for flushing the system, we recommend a very simple and cheap radiator flush.
Go to your local grocery store and buy "White Distilled Vinegar" and mix that 50/50 with some distilled water.
Fill the system with the 50/50 mix, run the bike until warm, let cool, drain and then run clear water through to wash out the vinegar. It's the same idea as cleaning your coffee maker. The vinegar is acidic enough to remove any scale or impurities, but not so harsh that it will harm your delicate seals and gaskets.


WE DO NOT RECOMMEND AUTOMOTIVE RADIATOR FLUSHES...they're too harsh.

Lightweight Shorai Battery

Not a vintage project but a cool one. I wanted a new battery for my 2010 Husqvarna TE250, and had recently read about these cool lightweight LiFePO4 (lithium iron phosphate) batteries made by Shorai. I'm a novice in the dirt and I'm short so the idea of lightening the bike a couple pounds sounded like a good idea.

Shorai's "Standard Recommendation" for my bike is the LFX09L2-BS12. There website claims: "This LFX battery is 4.07 Lbs. lighter than the lead-acid YTZ7S." That sounded pretty awesome, and my local dealer had it in stock.
Here is my original battery and the new Shorai.

The new Shorai is significantly shorter and less deep. They provide foam that you can cut to wedge the battery in the battery tray and you can see that in front of the Shorai battery in the picture. They also have these nice bolts with foam underneath that helps raise the nut for fitting the bolt. If you have fit a motorcycle battery before you know this seems like a handy and nice idea.

But what about the weight? First I weighed the original battery.

 

This is the original battery that came with the bike and including the bolts it weights 4 pounds 8.5 ounces (4.53 pounds).

Now the new Shorai battery.

Wow! 1 pound 4.9 ounces (1.31 pounds), including the bolts and foam shim.

So that is a savings of: 3 pounds 3.6 ounces, or 3.2 pounds. Not really close to Shorai's claim of 4.07 pounds, but still a pretty good weight savings.

Here's a picture of the battery fitted to the bike.

I was careful to zip tie the battery in place, as it definitely cold come loose otherwise, due to it's smaller size. But it does fit really well. (You might notice, I have some extra wiring under my bike for the Power Commander.)

I checked the voltage of the battery when I bought it, and it was at 13.40V. Which Shorai claims means the battery as delivered was at more than 90% charge. I also checked the drain with the ignition off and got 0.17mA on my meter. Thats pretty small, but I think I'll leave the battery disconnected between riding trips.

Cost? The Shorai at $106.62, tax included, was about the same price as a replacement Yuasa MF YTZ-7S battery ($110 online from various sites). But you can get an off-brand sealed AGM YTZ-7S for less than $50. So it's a great deal if you compare to a high end OEM replacement battery, kind of expensive if you compare it to the cheapest batteries out there.

So thats it, probably the easiest 3 pounds I've ever saved on a bike.