Dr. Overkill

Gang, I noticed last trip out that my '00 shee has some play in the steering stem. It's not a lot, and I don't know if it's within spec, but it's definitely more play than my '02 bike has. It looks like there may be a plastic bushing in the top of the frame where the stem goes through--is this bushing simple to replace? Or is something else a more likely culprit? TIA, _dennis

It's called a strap wrench. I bought a pair (large & small) from Harbor Freight for under $10 (much better deal than the same thing from Sears). They're not perfect, but it worked for my shee's flywheel, and I've put 'em to use on a couple other things since then. _dennis

IIRC, the Maxima Chain Wax directions say to ride the bike *first* to warm up the chain, and *then* to spray on the lube and let it dry. I think I've only warmed up the chain once before lubing it. I usually just do like you guys, spray it on, let it dry a half hour or more, then ride. No problems with fling, but I haven't checked whether the chain is any tighter after a trip. _dennis

That's interesting, because the Clymer manual says to support the bike with the wheels off the ground before checking the chain tension--the exact opposite _d

Gang, I could use one of the allen/buttonhead bolts that connect the stock heelguard to the footpeg. The nut would be nice, too, but I could probably scrounge up a close approximation to stock. The PO of my 2000 shee put a dinky lil' bolt in it with a feeble washer and it looks lame (aside from the fact that the washer is getting sucked into the hole ) Just wanna get it back to stock condition--can't have non-matching bolts in the peg, y'know If anyone could send me either or both of these, I'd very much appreciate it. I know some of you ditch the stock heel guards, so if ya have the hardware lying around... Otherwise it's a trip to Motoworld to pay $14.95 for a super-cool special order part from Yamaha I'd be glad to kick down some stamps for postage plus an extra for your trouble (generous chap that I am ) thanx! _dennis

Gang, I was putting a new rear sprocket on the wife's '02, and after snugging all 6 nuts, hit the first one with the torque wrench set to 44 ft-lb per my Clymer manual, and the stinkin' stud snapped off. Luckily I could get it out with an Easy-Out, and I just put a bolt in it. I didn't attempt to torque the remaining, just tightened them up very snugly with a regular 1/2" ratchet and bent the keepers over. Is 44 ft-lb incorrect? I suppose my old man's torque wrench that I was using could be off. Or maybe the stud was just weak for some reason? _dennis

Ok, so I ground out the slots about 1/4" as suggested. Still not enough, can't get the master link in. Ground out another 1/8" or so, but then realized that the bearing carrier was bottomed out, so my extra grinding was for naught So I think the reason that I'm having trouble getting this thing to fit with the extra link removed, even with the adjuster slots lengthened, is because I have a chain slider on it. It holds the chain up higher than the stock roller on the swingarm, and probably puts just enough tension on the sucker to keep me from getting the master link on. I'm like 1/8" away from it fitting So I bought another master link and am putting back to where I started, and now the chain will be so long that the adjusters will be bottomed out. Hope that thing stretches a bit, but the guy who sold it to me said the Regina's don't stretch nearly as much as other brands This bike is turning the simplest of projects into flippin' ordeals _d

Gang, I bought a new chain for my wife's '02. (Got new sprockets, too). I dropped to a 13 tooth front. The shop cut the chain (a Regina gold) to stock length, but it was so long that I nearly bottomed out the adjusters trying to get the slack within specs. So I removed one more link from the chain, and now I can't get the bastich on because it's too short! I adjusted the bearing carrier as far forward as it would go, and I just couldn't get the master link on. So it's back to the shop to buy another master link and lengthen back to where I started. So what's the deal? Do I have to live with a chain that starts life at the very end of the adjustment, and hope it stretches enough to allow me to remove a link later on? I ran a 13-tooth front on a previous bike and I don't remember having to crank the adjusters all the way in like this. Advice welcomed. Thanks! _dennis

Gang, I picked up an '02 shee for my wife ( ) Only problem is that she has a very difficult time reaching the clutch lever due to her tiny hands. She also has trouble with the thumb throttle, even though I put a Thumb Assist on it (something she's used on previous quads and likes a lot--she tried my bike without the Thumb Assist and it was worse for her). She doesn't even bother trying to use the front brake. So, is there anything that I can do to make the clutch easier for her? I could heat the lever and try to bend it in a bit, but that would limit the total throw and might not disengage the clutch completely. I've seen so-called adjustable perches, but I don't know what exactly is adjustable about them. Another alternative might be some way to make the clutch easier to pull in, but still the biggest problem is just reaching the lever with her short fingers. Any suggestions for the clutch lever and thumb throttle (twist is not an option)? thanks! _dennis

Pictures? Price? Location? _dennis

Location? What accessories? _dennis

Sounds good. Thanks, gang! _d

Thanks, but I'd prefer stock internals in the engine. _d

Gang, i'm looking to buy a 'shee for my wife. I need thumb throttle for her but I'm finding a lot of bikes for sale with twist trottles. (Please, no arguments about the merits of twist throttles ) How big a deal is it to convert back? thanx, _dennis (heretic)

Thanks, guys. Both of those bikes are over 130 miles from me--too far to go to just take a look, especially with the price of gas jumping. I'll wait to check out some bikes closer to me, and if the well is dry come dez season, I'll begin considering some longer trips I'll consider any within about 50 miles of El Cajon, or within about 10 miles of Perris (the in-laws). _dennis

The time shown in the forums is 1 hour early (yes, I have my time set correctly for my location, and the box is checked for Daylight Savings). Anyone else see this? Notta big deal, but it threw me off earlier. _dennis

Looking for a bike for the wife (w00t!). I'd prefer stock engine, but pipes & jetting for Glamis would be a plus. Looking in the San Diego County (CA) area but will consider as far north as Moreno Valley (Riverside County) since my in-laws live near there Cash sale, or I have a 2003 400EX I'm willing to trade (click here) _dennis

Looking for a bike for the wife (w00t!). I'd prefer stock engine, but pipes & jetting for Glamis would be a plus. Looking in the San Diego County (CA) area but will consider as far north as Moreno Valley (Riverside County) since my in-laws live near there Cash, or I have a 2003 400EX I'm willing to trade (click here) _dennis

No, you can qualify for survivors insurance benefits if just one parent dies. And the reason the authors took the 15-54 age range is because that's when most people are caring for children under 18. Very few 100 year-olds, and no 0 year-olds, are parents of minors _d

*sigh* It's called Social Security Survivors Insurance. US taxpayers were hit for an esimtated $10-50 Billion between 1990 and 1999 to pay for Survivors Insurance for the ~1 million kids left motherless or fatherless due to a smoking-attributable death. "In 1994, smoking caused an estimated 44,000 male and 19,000 female U.S. deaths at ages 15-54, leaving 31,000 fatherless and 12,000 motherless youths." For an abstract of the article, see: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.f...5743&query_hl=2 And, to Brooke, who feels that her common sense is more reliable than controlled science, consider how every day your common sense tells you that the Earth is flat. Sometimes things are not as they appear... _d

No. The cost burdens come from the uninsured and the underinsured, and the folks who are dropped by their insurance companies after they find out they've been lying about their smoking status. Medicaid picks up the tab, and we ALL pay for Medicaid. The cost burdens also come from lost productivity (nationally) due to illness and death caused by tobacco, and the cost of supporting children who are left without parents who die from smoking caused disease. The extra few dollars that a minority of smokers pay to their private insurers doesn't cover any of these costs. _d

Sure, we're all going to die one way or another, but some ways suck a lot more than others. You're ready for this? --> http://www.sptimes.com/News/61599/Floridia...u_to_know.shtml Half of smoking-caused deaths occur before old age. Shrug, eh? _d

Umm, I can't see any threads on that plug!!! _dennis

I picked up some BelRay recently, but all they had was 85w. Any worries there? I'm switching from Maxima 85w gear oil. _dennis