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Tech Tips Send your tips
(These tips are not warranted, simply things that fellow riders have found useful.)
When adjusting your motorcycle horn, remove it and clean it with air pressure before starting. When you are sure it is clean (free of bugs, dirt, rust...), put it back on the bike or connect it to a battery. Most horns are adjusted from the factory to operate on 12 volts. What you want to do, is adjust it at operating voltage. (13-14 volts) You can start the bike and adjust it or connect a charger to the battery. If you use the charger method, use at least a 5 amp charger to make a difference when you apply the load. Hit the horn button or connect the wires to make it blow. While it is blowing, slowly adjust the little screw (off center on the back of the horn) assuming you loosened the lock nut first. You will notice a difference in the tone and volume. Get the most out of it. lock the nut down and try it again. Sometimes the lock nut will pull the screw back enough to change the adjustment. If that happens, loosen the nut again and turn the screw in (clockwise) about 1/8th of a turn and hold the screw with the screwdriver while tightening the nut.
- Renewing faded plastic parts
A friend told me about a product that works wonders on renewing the rich luster to painted and plastic parts. I have used it on all of my older bikes and found it to be fantastic at bringing old faded plastic back to life. It is S100 Engine Bright. It is a small can that sells for $7.95. It seems like a lot of money when you buy it, but after you see how well it works, you'll use it without question. Older bikes with dull gray switches and turn signals will look like new after simply spraying the parts until very wet and then after 5-10 minutes wipe off the excess that didn't get absorbed. Bikes I did 6 months ago still look good, without retreating.
Rust is easily removed with Oxalic acid. It can be found in your local hardware store, labeled as wood bleach. It comes in a plastic tub. You mix the granules with hot water and simply soak the rusted item's in it. I have used it in a fuel tank to remove even thick scaly rust. It seems to only have a harsh reaction with the rust itself. If left on a painted surface it can discolor it. Clean metal seems to be unharmed by the solution. After a couple hours of soaking, I neutralized the surface with a baking soda solution and rinsed with plain water. Remember it is acid, so read the warning label.
- Plastic Coat and Paint Remover
The best stripper I have found is Shooters Aircraft Remover by Klean Strip product # is AR-523. It can be found in auto parts stores that supply body shops. I have used this for removing corroded and flaked plastic finish on engine side cases. It works very fast and very complete. Just follow the instructions on the can.
You should periodically check your antifreeze for its acidic content. If the acidic level gets too high, it will cause corrosion and become less effective. The easiest way to test its quality is with a digital voltmeter. With the key off. Check the voltage at the battery. Then with the positive lead on the battery, put the negative lead into the antifreeze of the radiator (not the plastic reservoir). Don't touch the lead to the radiator. If the voltage is more than 3 tenths of a volt higher than the figure at the battery, then your radiator is acting as a battery caused by the acidic value of the anti-freeze.
For more great tips. Go to dansmc.com
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