Topic: <<<the simple little question thread>>>

[vrenlos]

For what it's worth, I'd go with the aerosol if you can - I just did the same thing but with the liquid, and it's a big goopy, sticky mess.

[jorwesflow]

just bought a duralast battery at autozone (fwiw), and it says to charge at 500ma for 12 hours. I only have as low as 1A to trickle charge. is that gonna be fine? I can't find a 500ma charger anywhere.

[bollingball]

The only charger I know of with that rating is one like you would use for a cell phone or something like that. look at one close you will see the ma rating stamped on it. can you post a pick of that battery how big is it?

[jorwesflow]

it's http://www.autozone.com/autozone/accessories/Duralast-5-5-16-in-L-x-3-3-16-in-W-x-6-5-16-in-H-CB-series-motorcycle-battery/_/N-25ub?itemIdentifier=62054&_requestid=1501741

the instructions say "charge at 500m for 12 hours." I assume that means 500ma?

[TwoTired]

just bought a duralast battery at autozone (fwiw), and it says to charge at 500ma for 12 hours. I only have as low as 1A to trickle charge. is that gonna be fine? I can't find a 500ma charger anywhere.

Simple answer...no.

Don't bother reading the rest... 

I mean it!  Stop right here.  Things will stop being simple, I warn you.

Hey, I'm not kidding, buddy!  Just move on to the next post.




....Ok, I warned you!

There are as many brands and styles of chargers as there are vehicle brands in the world. ... And, they all have different capabilities.
Some chargers list only their max capability.  Cheap chargers are seldom constant current type, or have a voltage regulator.  So, I have doubts your "1 amp charger" does so under all connected conditions.  But...

You didn't tell us the battery model numbers.
you didn't tell us the charger brand/model numbers.
You didn't tell us a BIKE brand or model number.

So, I suspect the information hiding was done so you could hear it was ok to do whatever you wanted.  So, go ahead!  It ain't my battery!   

But, maybe you should 1/3 the charge time, or don't expect the new battery to achieve maximum potential.  It's all about the chemistry.  Ready for Chem 101?  It's really simple, you know. 

Yes, you can damage a battery (catastrophically or subtly) by exceeding manufacturer recommendations.   (Kinda why they give you guidelines.)


Oh, and since you can't sop reading, here's another simple question.   
The doctor says I should clean my fingernails with a tooth pick.  I only have a hatchet, will that be ok?  Will there be blood? 

Oh, and here's another simple question.  How long will it take to get to Mars? 

Is there a limit to the simple questions in a single post?

Cheers,   

[jorwesflow]

TT, seemingly infinite are the questions you have answered for me before! (probably a dozen or
so). never with such cynicism! I'll take what I can get.

pardon me... 1976 CB550F. charger is Schumacher MC-1. battery (above) is Duralast CB12A-A.

any advice, as always, is
not just appreciated, but is necessary to me being able to ride this first bike of mine down the street for the first time in my life. when i ask this question, there's a lot more at stake than a battery. I want to ride.

[TwoTired]

TT, seemingly infinite are the questions you have answered for me before! (probably a dozen or
so). never with such cynicism! I'll take what I can get.

You just ignored all the smilies I put in the post? 

pardon me... 1976 CB550F. charger is Schumacher MC-1. battery (above) is Duralast CB12A-A.

I downloaded the operator manual for your charger.  Below is the bit you should read.

You have a manual charger.  Meaning: you can't just leave it unattended.  Assuming the battery is 50% discharged (a new one just activated is NOT 50% discharged)  It begins at a 1 amp rate and tapers down to .3 amps as it gets the battery toward full charge then CONTINUES at a .3A rate thereafter. which will over charge and begin damage to the battery at some point.  You will have to monitor the battery voltage and disconnect the battery when it reached 14.5V at the terminals.
I expect your charger is a constant voltage type.  It's a good brand, though.  They know their stuff, and put good info in their operation manual.  Useful charger, but needs intelligence on the part of the operator to employ properly, (which makes them different from automatic types).

I'd guestimate a newly activated battery would need 2-8 hours to reach the 14.5 V plateau.

Cheers,

[CycleRanger]

What 72-76 Honda street bike uses an ND tachometer with a 1000rpm=3000rpm gear ratio?   
Tach looks identical to 750-550 etc. tach.

Simple enough.

[db22]

Over the weekend I broke a valve tappet cover -- there's a chip missing that leaves a hole about 4mm by 2mm.  Can I seal this with a dab of epoxy or even just cover it with some Gorilla Tape until the new cover arrives, or should I park the bike until the new part is delivered? Will be riding my daily commute, about 32 miles, no faster than 60mph. How much oil pressure is there behind those little covers at road speeds?

[db22]

And another: Is there any difference between '75 550 F and K rear wheel hubs?

[seanbarney41]

Over the weekend I broke a valve tappet cover -- there's a chip missing that leaves a hole about 4mm by 2mm.  Can I seal this with a dab of epoxy or even just cover it with some Gorilla Tape until the new cover arrives, or should I park the bike until the new part is delivered? Will be riding my daily commute, about 32 miles, no faster than 60mph. How much oil pressure is there behind those little covers at road speeds?

I would think a little bit of jb weld or something would be all right temporarily, especially if the o-ring is still doing it's job, all your gonna have is a oil leak anyway...messy but not serious if you replace the missing oil.  It's getting to be more simple little questions than answers in here, so I thought I'd take a stab at this one...here is another question...Has anyone ever noticed their bike to start a little easier with the kick over the starter when cold?  I was thinking maybe the starter motor is somehow using some of the spark energy.

[vrenlos]

Does anyone know the size and threading of the small brass screws that hold the points on the the plate assembly?  One of mine was stripped to all hell by the PO.  Thanks.

[db22]

"Has anyone ever noticed their bike to start a little easier with the kick over the starter when cold?  I was thinking maybe the starter motor is somehow using some of the spark energy."
Seanbarney41: I have noticed that my CB550 starts cold on the first kick, even in very cold weather.  But, it doesn't take too long to fire up when I use the button, either.  IF everything else is in good order, my CB550 has been an easy starter, and I just like the feeling of kick-starting a motorcycle.  I hate that they have stopped putting kickers on bikes!  What are they thinking?  Oh yeah, they save five bucks in production costs.

[Radam]

My F3 seems to start better with the kick start. I rarely use the button because I like the kick better too.

vrenlos, I've used strips of beer cans, aluminum tape, and one of my friends recently used grip tape (sand paper with adhesive on one side) to keep handlebars from slipping. I've never tried to go from 1" to 7/8" though.

[HondaMan]

Does anyone know the size and threading of the small brass screws that hold the points on the the plate assembly?  One of mine was stripped to all hell by the PO.  Thanks.

You can buy another used plate from any junkyard or used-part source, or a new one from Honda complete with points and condensors. No need to try to repair those backplates.

[vrenlos]

Does anyone know the size and threading of the small brass screws that hold the points on the the plate assembly?  One of mine was stripped to all hell by the PO.  Thanks.

You can buy another used plate from any junkyard or used-part source, or a new one from Honda complete with points and condensors. No need to try to repair those backplates.

It's actually just the head of the screw that's stripped, that plate is in pretty good shape.

[HondaMan]

Does anyone know the size and threading of the small brass screws that hold the points on the the plate assembly?  One of mine was stripped to all hell by the PO.  Thanks.

You can buy another used plate from any junkyard or used-part source, or a new one from Honda complete with points and condensors. No need to try to repair those backplates.

It's actually just the head of the screw that's stripped, that plate is in pretty good shape.

Ah. Then take one of the other ones out and go to Ace Hardware with it: they have them.

[thrutheframe]

My simple question for tonight is:  will it hurt my clutch discs to soak in oil for 24 or more hours as opposed what the instructions on the box say? The instructions say to soak them for "several hours".  I walked out of my shop in a rush to get to my gig tonight and forgot them soaking in 10W40.

[Grnrngr]

Hmmm, lets see, yer gonna take them out of the oil, put them in the tranny case, then fill the case with oil...they'll prolly be OK....

you soak them in the oil, because if you installed them dry, since they are clamped together during installation, then added the oil to the case, there could be "dry spots" between the plates,and chances are good that they might not work as well, might cause uneven wear, and might wear out sooner...or worse...

[thrutheframe]

Hmmm, lets see, yer gonna take them out of the oil, put them in the tranny case, then fill the case with oil...they'll prolly be OK....

you soak them in the oil, because if you installed them dry, since they are clamped together during installation, then added the oil to the case, there could be "dry spots" between the plates,and chances are good that they might not work as well, might cause uneven wear, and might wear out sooner...or worse...

Yeah I figured as much but there are no simple questions, just simple people.

Thanks for putting my mind at ease, now I can stop for coffee instead of going straight to the shop.

[longshanks]

My bike is slowly blowing oil from the oil breather filter(is that what it is?) mounted on the back of the engine. It happens at freeway speeds as I noticed a streak of oil on my pipe. Is that normal?

[bollingball]

long What bike and year?
What is not normal is for a filter to be there in the first place. Looks like someone has altered your breather system. It is normal for a little blow by gas to come out of there and when you put a filter there it will fill up and drip should be some kind of hose there where it goes to depends on year.

[longshanks]

Sorry forgot to mention, its a 1976 Honda CB750K. And yes, it seems the oil is collecting on the aftermarket filter and then eventually dripping out because it becomes too saturated.

[bollingball]

Long If you look at the service manual for a flow chart you will find how it was plumbed from the factory there are some post on this. The very early bikes ran a hose from the valve cover down to the ground by the back wheel. Later it was recirculated back to the engine.

[lone*X]

My turn!  Anybody remember who was casting the 550 airbox boots (other than DSS) a while back?  There were some folks trying them and if I remember they were a little on the soft side.  Wondering how that all turned out since I need to buy a set of boots and would rather purchase them from a member if possible.