Gaoler
Well-known member
Ordered late Monday night
Arrived at my door Friday 10:30am.
"Leaves warehouse same day" is a lie though Lol.
Shipping label created Thursday afternoon.
What did you do in your garage today..?
- Thread starter Hack
- Start date
Ordered late Monday night
Arrived at my door Friday 10:30am.
"Leaves warehouse same day" is a lie though Lol.
Shipping label created Thursday afternoon.
same. Sat in “shipping soon” status for 2.5 days. Actual shipping from label creation to door delivery was 20 hours.
To be fair, if they throw an "ebike" plate on it, it will be just as legal as the majority of ebikes on the road. GLWS.
pecan_choco_hurricane
Active member
It does look like an ebike to the avg person.
About $1500 with a few thousand km on them. Mine has 65km on it. A new one at the dealer is $4900 otd.
Spent a few hours trying to resurrect an old lawnmower someone had put out last year. I have a riding mower and a new self-propelled mower but at my cottage I cannot have too many backups- my rider is already out of commission for want of a starter. Looks like fuel isn't getting to the plug, but I didn't have time to look into it more.
Went out for a few hours around Gravenhurst. A few miles from home my left foot couldn't find the gear shift lever - it turned out a screw connecting the lever to the rest of the gear change mechanism had fallen out, so it was hanging straight down.
Luckily I was only in 3rd, and was able to make it home. It could have happened in a higher gear, farther away from home and traffic might have required me to stop, so I was lucky.
An ugly bolt from Home Depot has the problem fixed for now.
Went out for a few hours around Gravenhurst. A few miles from home my left foot couldn't find the gear shift lever - it turned out a screw connecting the lever to the rest of the gear change mechanism had fallen out, so it was hanging straight down.
Luckily I was only in 3rd, and was able to make it home. It could have happened in a higher gear, farther away from home and traffic might have required me to stop, so I was lucky.
An ugly bolt from Home Depot has the problem fixed for now.
Gaoler
Well-known member
Today it is coolant and air filter change day... In anticipation of the July jaunt to BC.
Some FJRers say you don't have to pull the fairing(s) off to do a coolant change, but I dunno... It's tedious, but once the plastics are off at least you can see and get to EVERYTHING with ease.
Air box is a little tight... 'Helps to unplug that one wire bundle to get it out of the way. Old filter had about 25000km on it. 'Could have blown it out I suppose, but... I replaced it instead.
Baller, I know.
Some FJRers say you don't have to pull the fairing(s) off to do a coolant change, but I dunno... It's tedious, but once the plastics are off at least you can see and get to EVERYTHING with ease.
Air box is a little tight... 'Helps to unplug that one wire bundle to get it out of the way. Old filter had about 25000km on it. 'Could have blown it out I suppose, but... I replaced it instead.
Baller, I know.
PacoT
Well-known member
I had every intention of heading out for a ride today—gear on, helmet buckled, bike ready to roll. I turned the key to the "on" position and hit the starter button… and the dash went completely black. 
No response at all, even after toggling the kill switch and trying again. So, plans got scrapped and I went digging for my trickle charger instead.
It’s been connected for about three hours now. I checked on it an hour ago and the screen briefly flickered on for a couple of seconds, then went black again. My guess is the battery is fully flat.
Anyone know if a trickle charger can bring a dead battery back from the grave?
For context: a couple of weeks ago, I removed the battery (a Parts Canada one, I believe) to install a switched power distribution box for a USB charger and heated gear plugs. I checked the battery off the bike back then, and it was showing 12.7V—which I figured was healthy-ish.
Now I’m wondering if I’ve got a parasitic draw. But would that even be possible if the distribution box is wired with a relay?
I’m leaving it on the battery tender a few more hours to see if anything changes. Fingers crossed.
So bummed down that I wasn't able to go out today. Well, I think instead I will watch the 24h Le Mans.
The only silver lining is that this didn’t happen next week—I’ve got a four-day trip to Pennsylvania planned.
Open to any thoughts or advice—especially on diagnosing draw or whether this battery's worth saving!
No response at all, even after toggling the kill switch and trying again. So, plans got scrapped and I went digging for my trickle charger instead.
It’s been connected for about three hours now. I checked on it an hour ago and the screen briefly flickered on for a couple of seconds, then went black again. My guess is the battery is fully flat.
Anyone know if a trickle charger can bring a dead battery back from the grave?
For context: a couple of weeks ago, I removed the battery (a Parts Canada one, I believe) to install a switched power distribution box for a USB charger and heated gear plugs. I checked the battery off the bike back then, and it was showing 12.7V—which I figured was healthy-ish.
Now I’m wondering if I’ve got a parasitic draw. But would that even be possible if the distribution box is wired with a relay?
I’m leaving it on the battery tender a few more hours to see if anything changes. Fingers crossed.
So bummed down that I wasn't able to go out today. Well, I think instead I will watch the 24h Le Mans.
The only silver lining is that this didn’t happen next week—I’ve got a four-day trip to Pennsylvania planned.
Open to any thoughts or advice—especially on diagnosing draw or whether this battery's worth saving!
Last edited:
Some chargers have the ability to rescue dead batteries. I had a few batteries that my Canadian Tire 3 port “smart” chargercouldn’t charge and appeared dead.
I bought an Optimate charger and was able to rescue them. I have had batteries that the Optimate hasn’t been able to rescue.
I’m not sure which Optimate I have because their product line is frankly baffling. It looks like this one: OptiMate 4 Quad Program | PREMIUM Edition - OptiMate
But I think most of their chargers advertise the ability to save batteries
Short answer is maybe trickle charger works. Trying won't hurt anything.I had every intention of heading out for a ride today—gear on, helmet buckled, bike ready to roll. I turned the key to the "on" position and hit the starter button… and the dash went completely black.
No response at all, even after toggling the kill switch and trying again. So, plans got scrapped and I went digging for my trickle charger instead.
It’s been connected for about three hours now. I checked on it an hour ago and the screen briefly flickered on for a couple of seconds, then went black again. My guess is the battery is fully flat.
Anyone know if a trickle charger can bring a dead battery back from the grave?
For context: a couple of weeks ago, I removed the battery (a Parts Canada one, I believe) to install a switched power distribution box for a USB charger and heated gear plugs. I checked the battery off the bike back then, and it was showing 12.7V—which I figured was healthy-ish.
Now I’m wondering if I’ve got a parasitic draw. But would that even be possible if the distribution box is wired with a relay?
I’m leaving it on the battery tender a few more hours to see if anything changes. Fingers crossed.
So bummed down that I wasn't able to go out today. Well, I think instead I will watch the 24h Le Mans.
The only silver lining is that this didn’t happen next week—I’ve got a four-day trip to Pennsylvania planned.
Open to any thoughts or advice—especially on diagnosing draw or whether this battery's worth saving!
View attachment 74588
As for parasitic draw, are you sure you wired the new box in properly? Maybe it stayed on. Make sure you test that it is turning on/off when you expect.
Mad Mike
Well-known member
Tried firing up the DR Big on Wed as I’m planning a road trip next week… no-va. Put her away full, carbs cleaned, fresh plugs and tuned perfectly. — running like a top.
Compression.. check. Spark.. check. Fuel.. carbs full. Fuel filter is black ???
Change the filter, goes black almost instantly. Pull the gas line and the fuel is coming out jet black.
Pull the tanks, looks like a lot of black - can’t really see inside (don’t have a proctologist scope) so I wrap a rag around some round rod and make a Covid style swab. Out comes tar like sludge and pasty rust.
Get the pressure washer in the tanks and sure enough a nice quantity of gooey sludge comes out. She sat for 20 years, I guess the fresh gas in her must have dissolved varnish and dried up residues and turned them into goo.
Dumped in a gallon of xylene and a chain then did a lot of shaking. Dumped out a pile of goo. Swabbed again, this time just a lot of rust. I can see a lot of surface rust.
Bought 30l of vinegar, soaked the tanks for 2 days. Out comes a pile of rust and orange vinegar. Pressure washed the inside and the parts I can see as clean as the inside of a beer can!
Refit tanks…still no va. Pull the fuel pump line, and it’s dribbling, not pumping. Open op the pump and she’s full of goo. Clean and rebuild the fuel pump. Try firing her up… no va.
Pull the carbs (no easy feat - the side panels, front shroud, tank, battery, solenoid, battery box, rear fender, cdi, regulator, then air box come off first. ). More goo, pilot jets on both carbs gooed completely.
Clean carbs, new fuel lines, reinstall everything.
Hit the start button and she fires off and runs like a top!
Compression.. check. Spark.. check. Fuel.. carbs full. Fuel filter is black ???
Change the filter, goes black almost instantly. Pull the gas line and the fuel is coming out jet black.
Pull the tanks, looks like a lot of black - can’t really see inside (don’t have a proctologist scope) so I wrap a rag around some round rod and make a Covid style swab. Out comes tar like sludge and pasty rust.
Get the pressure washer in the tanks and sure enough a nice quantity of gooey sludge comes out. She sat for 20 years, I guess the fresh gas in her must have dissolved varnish and dried up residues and turned them into goo.
Dumped in a gallon of xylene and a chain then did a lot of shaking. Dumped out a pile of goo. Swabbed again, this time just a lot of rust. I can see a lot of surface rust.
Bought 30l of vinegar, soaked the tanks for 2 days. Out comes a pile of rust and orange vinegar. Pressure washed the inside and the parts I can see as clean as the inside of a beer can!
Refit tanks…still no va. Pull the fuel pump line, and it’s dribbling, not pumping. Open op the pump and she’s full of goo. Clean and rebuild the fuel pump. Try firing her up… no va.
Pull the carbs (no easy feat - the side panels, front shroud, tank, battery, solenoid, battery box, rear fender, cdi, regulator, then air box come off first. ). More goo, pilot jets on both carbs gooed completely.
Clean carbs, new fuel lines, reinstall everything.
Hit the start button and she fires off and runs like a top!
Carbs should always be easy to get at. Annoys the heck out of me when they can't engineer them this way.
Mad Mike
Well-known member
Suzuki crammed 2 BST 33s into the DRBig. Tricky carbs to maintain and setup, tricky to re and re from the bike.
Gonna tackle the 74 Jawa Californian next carb next - waiting on a carb kit from Czech Republic. Freed up the locked motor today, got sparks Adler cleaning up some janky wiring and I welding the points.
I think the rings are stuck — I don’t have enough compression. Hopefully the Marvel Mystery top end rebuilder juice does its job.
My KTM's carb is right there ready to be pulled out anytime I'd need to (and thanks to Mikuni's cheap rubber o-rings it gets pulled a bunch lately) but for some reason they made the boot connecting it to the airbox out of hard plastic so you can't separate them enough to pull the carb out. The proper way is to undue the silencer/shock/subframe and remove the carb. The hack way is removing the air filter and struggling to pull the plastic boot backwards into the airbox (if it was pliable it'd be a snap...........but it's not). Must be a penny-pincher decision.
Relax
Well-known member
I had every intention of heading out for a ride today—gear on, helmet buckled, bike ready to roll. I turned the key to the "on" position and hit the starter button… and the dash went completely black.
No response at all, even after toggling the kill switch and trying again. So, plans got scrapped and I went digging for my trickle charger instead.
It’s been connected for about three hours now. I checked on it an hour ago and the screen briefly flickered on for a couple of seconds, then went black again. My guess is the battery is fully flat.
Anyone know if a trickle charger can bring a dead battery back from the grave?
For context: a couple of weeks ago, I removed the battery (a Parts Canada one, I believe) to install a switched power distribution box for a USB charger and heated gear plugs. I checked the battery off the bike back then, and it was showing 12.7V—which I figured was healthy-ish.
Now I’m wondering if I’ve got a parasitic draw. But would that even be possible if the distribution box is wired with a relay?
I’m leaving it on the battery tender a few more hours to see if anything changes. Fingers crossed.
So bummed down that I wasn't able to go out today. Well, I think instead I will watch the 24h Le Mans.
The only silver lining is that this didn’t happen next week—I’ve got a four-day trip to Pennsylvania planned.
Open to any thoughts or advice—especially on diagnosing draw or whether this battery's worth saving!
View attachment 74588
How long the battery needs to be charged for depends on the battery's capacity (AH rating) and the output amps of your charger. Divide the battery's AH by the charger's output to get a very rough idea of the minimum amount of time needed. On some smart chargers, the amps drop as the battery gets full, so that ends up taking longer. Additional time will also be needed if it has special testing/evaluation cycles (like giving an initial charge then waiting a certain amount of time to check if the charge has held before attempting further charging).
You mentioned "trickle charger" and "battery tender". Is your trickle charger an actual Battery Tender (a product name and trademark of Deltran). Battery Tenders do not have a desulphation mode, but if your battery isn't sulphated, that doesn't matter. Personally I love CTEK chargers, but I only have one that I got on saleages ago. They are pricey. Second vote would go to Optimate. These are the two chargers that seem to be able to charge every battery I've tried, ones that were so bad other chargers couldn't.
