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kidwoo

Artisanal Tweet Curator
I just got a bike out of my winter storage unit and the hour meter is dead. Dumb cheap watch battery shit sealed in the thing that I had to break to get out. All because last spring I decided 20 bucks was cheaper than 50 bucks.

So I need to run up an hour meter to 42 hours. The obvious answer is car but I don't drive that much these days. What else makes a spark along a wire? I could have put it on my slowblower this year but we may be winding down. Any of you streetbike guys want to put some hours on one of these things for me?

Is there such a thing as a fleshlight with a spark plug?
 
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junkyard

You might feel a little prick.
Sep 1, 2015
2,601
2,303
San Diego
I just got a bike out of my winter storage unit and the hour meter is dead. Dumb cheap watch battery shit sealed in the thing that I had to break to get out. All because last spring I decided 20 bucks was cheaper than 50 bucks.

So I need to run up an hour meter to 42 hours. The obvious answer is car but I don't drive that much these days. What else makes a spark along a wire? I could have put it on my slowblower this year but we may be winding down. Any of you streetbike guys want to put some hours on one of these things for me?

Is there such a thing as a fleshlight with a spark plug?
just write it down in your maintenance book. You have a maintenance book right?
 

kidwoo

Artisanal Tweet Curator
just write it down in your maintenance book. You have a maintenance book right?
I do but...digital numbers

I'm enough of a maintenence dork that I do know the exact number I need because I wrote it down before putting the bike away for the winter. But I absolutely do not keep track of actual running hours with a watch. No one does...not really.

I tore the dead hour meter apart to get at the battery. I'll limp that thing along while running another/better one on my work truck this summer I think. I drive that way more than my personal car.
 

junkyard

You might feel a little prick.
Sep 1, 2015
2,601
2,303
San Diego
I do but...digital numbers

I'm enough of a maintenence dork that I do know the exact number I need because I wrote it down before putting the bike away for the winter. But I absolutely do not keep track of actual running hours with a watch. No one does...not really.

I tore the dead hour meter apart to get at the battery. I'll limp that thing along while running another/better one on my work truck this summer I think. I drive that way more than my personal car.
well maybe you can hook it up to two cylinders at once and get it goin twice as fast.
 

Westy

the teste
Nov 22, 2002
54,225
20,003
Sleazattle
No hands on experience with such a thing but I assume that like a tach it uses an inductive sensor on the spark plug wire. You could wrap the sensor around a single wire of say a lamp cord and it should be the equivalent of sensing an engine running at 3600 RMP. Set a lamp timer for 41 hours and done.

The one caveat is that inductive sensors senses current not voltage, a spark plug wire has really really high voltage and very little current, a lamp is lower voltage and higher current. No idea what current capabilities an hour meter has, may want to be careful not to put too much power through it. A very low power LED bulb may be the best bet or perhaps a cord going to a low power device like a shitty USB charger.
 

kidwoo

Artisanal Tweet Curator
No hands on experience with such a thing but I assume that like a tach it uses an inductive sensor on the spark plug wire. You could wrap the sensor around a single wire of say a lamp cord and it should be the equivalent of sensing an engine running at 3600 RMP. Set a lamp timer for 41 hours and done.

The one caveat is that inductive sensors senses current not voltage, a spark plug wire has really really high voltage and very little current, a lamp is lower voltage and higher current. No idea what current capabilities an hour meter has, may want to be careful not to put too much power through it. A very low power LED bulb may be the best bet or perhaps a cord going to a low power device like a shitty USB charger.
That doesn't mimic a dc pulse though eh? It is literally also a tachometer...it just senses a pulse from the spark plug wire from the ignition coil.

I'm also probably not going to split a two wire lamp cord just to do this.

I can try it with the shitty one I'm taking off with some other fun electrical pieces I have around from past projects. I do have an LED shop light I built years ago that I don't need anymore.
 

Westy

the teste
Nov 22, 2002
54,225
20,003
Sleazattle
That doesn't mimic a dc pulse though eh? It is literally also a tachometer...it just senses a pulse from the spark plug wire from the ignition coil.

I'm also probably not going to split a two wire lamp cord just to do this.

I can try it with the shitty one I'm taking off with some other fun electrical pieces I have around from past projects. I do have an LED shop light I built years ago that I don't need anymore.
A DC pulse is effectively AC. The sensing wire detects the change in current.

Not willing to split a lamp cable? I guess not everyone has embraced sketchy household wiring practices like me. A speaker wire would do the same thing with a nice upper mid baseline.
 

HardtailHack

used an iron once
Jan 20, 2009
6,627
5,441
Bultaco came back in 2014 to release an E moto(not sure it got to market) then switched and started selling duallies with hub motors, cruel.
1679829216707.png
 

OGRipper

back alley ripper
Feb 3, 2004
10,647
1,116
NORCAL is the hizzle
No time personally but a buddy of mine has one with the DCT and he likes it. He once mentioned that the pros and cons that seem to be stated in pretty much every review are pretty accurate.
 

junkyard

You might feel a little prick.
Sep 1, 2015
2,601
2,303
San Diego
Anyone got any time on one of these DCT Africa Twins? Might have an opportunity to go for a ride on one soon.
it is supposed to be similar to the talon. Which I find the transmission pretty awesome. Shifts amazing with paddle shifters that overrides to shift up or down a gear. Also good power.
 

Westy

the teste
Nov 22, 2002
54,225
20,003
Sleazattle
Anyone got any time on one of these DCT Africa Twins? Might have an opportunity to go for a ride on one soon.
I test drove the previous version. As a die hard manual transmission guy I didn't hate it. Puting it in manual mode felt like shifting my mountain bike. I didn't see the extra cost or weight to be worth it though. Might be nice for riding technical terrain but I don't know why anyone would ever really want to ride a super tall 500+ lb motorcycle on technical terrain. Few people ever do. They are just sport tourers that people cosplay with.

You know those things don't run on zero carbon beer?
 

Changleen

Paranoid Member
Jan 9, 2004
14,335
2,448
Hypernormality
I test drove the previous version. As a die hard manual transmission guy I didn't hate it. Puting it in manual mode felt like shifting my mountain bike. I didn't see the extra cost or weight to be worth it though. Might be nice for riding technical terrain but I don't know why anyone would ever really want to ride a super tall 500+ lb motorcycle on technical terrain. Few people ever do. They are just sport tourers that people cosplay with.

You know those things don't run on zero carbon beer?
I’m increasingly adventure bike touring curious. Like, proper ‘South to North South America’ type thing, and I randomly got a chance to ride a Africa Twin, which is just tickling my gooch.
Obviously I’d prefer an electric bike, and I probably have a few years before I get the opportunity to do it for myself, so with a bit of luck solid state batteries come online sooner rather than later so we can have sensibly ranged and weighted emoto type bikes. If I did get a petrol bike, obviously I’d offset my emissions, because any glib criticism aside, doing something is better than not even trying.
 

Westy

the teste
Nov 22, 2002
54,225
20,003
Sleazattle
I’m increasingly adventure bike touring curious. Like, proper ‘South to North South America’ type thing, and I randomly got a chance to ride a Africa Twin, which is just tickling my gooch.
Obviously I’d prefer an electric bike, and I probably have a few years before I get the opportunity to do it for myself, so with a bit of luck solid state batteries come online sooner rather than later so we can have sensibly ranged and weighted emoto type bikes. If I did get a petrol bike, obviously I’d offset my emissions, because any glib criticism aside, doing something is better than not even trying.
Well I really liked the Africa Twin 800 that I rode and the DCT worked really well but I didn't see the point. I was interested in it because I was recovering from botched hand surgery and had a very weak and painful left hand. I had no intentions of taking it off road was interested in the Adventure bike riding position because of my fucked up hand.

I didn't go with the Africa Twin because it was just a huge fucking bike, with a 32 inseam I couldn't even tippy toe the full blown adventure sports model. I ended up getting a Triumph Tiger 800, was an excellent and fun bike. I ended up installing a Magura hydraulic clutch actuator. The difference in control over the wire clutch was like that of a modern disk brake vs cantis. I could easily hold the bike stationary in gear on a steep hill by feathering the clutch as well as putter along uphill at a snails pace.

Unless you are 6'4" I'd recommend some of the slightly smaller bikes like the Yamaha Tenere or the new Honda Transalp. If you want to avoid a traditional transmission KTMs can come with a Rekluse centrifugal clutch.

If I was interested in going on a true Adventure trip I would actually go with a smaller KTM390 or Honda CB500X. Something light and cheap I could beat the shit out of, although both bikes would probably require some upgrading to suspension. You don't need the power from those bigger bikes off road and having 600lbs of bike falling on you in the middle of no-where doesn't sound fun.
 

Atomic Dog

doesn't have a custom title yet.
Oct 22, 2002
1,207
1,340
In the basement at Weekly World News
I didn't go with the Africa Twin because it was just a huge fucking bike, with a 32 inseam I couldn't even tippy toe the full blown adventure sports model.
The guy I bought my DRZ400 from is a shorter dude, he had lowering links on the bike to make it fit him better. He sold it for an Africa Twin, I can't imagine how he handles riding that thing.

Something light and cheap I could beat the shit out of...
Exactly why I bought the Suzuki. Previous owners put all the scratches on it so I don't have to feel bad when I drop it as I learn how to ride off road.
 

OGRipper

back alley ripper
Feb 3, 2004
10,647
1,116
NORCAL is the hizzle
I totally agree that I'd want something smaller and lighter for true ADV. I used to wonder how average (size and skill) moto riders could take those fully-loaded ADV monsters out on big off-road adventures and not quickly end up stuck in a ditch somewhere, but then I realized most probably stay on pavement 98% of the time and the other 2% is probably smooth fire road. They're like 2-wheeled SUV's in that way, never get used to their potential, but they have a good riding position and ability to carry a lot of crap. And hey, that's cool, each their own and all - shit, I'd much prefer a Multistrada v4 over a Goldwing - but still.
 

kidwoo

Artisanal Tweet Curator
I totally agree that I'd want something smaller and lighter for true ADV. I used to wonder how average (size and skill) moto riders could take those fully-loaded ADV monsters out on big off-road adventures and not quickly end up stuck in a ditch somewhere, but then I realized most probably stay on pavement 98% of the time and the other 2% is probably smooth fire road. They're like 2-wheeled SUV's in that way, never get used to their potential, but they have a good riding position and ability to carry a lot of crap. And hey, that's cool, each their own and all - shit, I'd much prefer a Multistrada v4 over a Goldwing - but still.
adventureriders.png
 

MonkeyGut

Monkey
Dec 8, 2006
156
98
Needs a mudflap, that shock would be toast in one ride. I didn't see any suspension specs...
If the beast stays around 200, that'd be nice. I've only ridden a surron and was highly unimpressed but that was 3 or so years ago. Damn, I'm jones'n to braaaaap
 

jimmydean

The Official Meat of Ridemonkey
Sep 10, 2001
40,931
13,129
Portland, OR
Needs a mudflap, that shock would be toast in one ride. I didn't see any suspension specs...
If the beast stays around 200, that'd be nice. I've only ridden a surron and was highly unimpressed but that was 3 or so years ago. Damn, I'm jones'n to braaaaap
Until the Varg is actually available, the Alta Redshift @ohio is STILL the gold standard. The SurRon Strom Bee looks very promising, but haven't seen it in person. It's currently my #1 if it compares to the Varg for $4k less.