[Revolverman]

Remember in my recent post, "A little concerned ?" I said there had to be a problem with the throttle because I could not give it gas smoothly. It was jerking constantly and causing me to hurt in my neck and shoulders. I could not understand why the throttle was so touchy, so erratic, so hard to smoothly accelerate.



Well I was at the end of my rope, I knew my age and physical condition had nothing to do with the throttle being so sensative.



I went to bed last night thinking about all the possiblities..........when it jumped out and bit me like a snake.........CHAIN WAS TOO LOOSE !!!!



That was it, and after figuring out how to adjust the chain with these new adjustment levers, it was magic !



100% of the throttle jerking is gone.....smooth as silk, amazing but true. Some may not believe it, but it was instant success.



I checked the chain with a ruler and there was over 2 inches of slack in it. The book call around 1.3 starting.



So I moved the setting one whole notch tighter and set everything else and rode it and it was honestly DAY and NIGHT difference !



I could finally cruise through my yard without these erratic jerking motions from a chain too slack. I was getting jerking accelerating and decelerating.........amazing but true.



I can not tell you how happy I am to figure this out. I was thinking I was an old man who could not control these new "fangled" throttles and only these younger guys who were skilled in the craft (like I used to be) could operate these new bikes........HA...not so.



Any way, I rode for 2 hours after this with no neck and shoulder pain.



I described this erratic jerking from the throttle yesterday in my first post that I erased. It was horrible, there was no control and it was driving me crazy.



Now I can cruise around and it feels like someone installed a set screw on the throttle. If you want to know how this feels there is a simple way, just loosen your chain so it has 2 or more inches of play. You will not believe how it jerks you.



Thanks for all the advice......next comes a seat pad and possibly bar lift.



Revolverman.

 

[jpuck]

its nice when you can make a adjustment,and problem solved.

 

[mrlmd]

A really loose chain can jump off the sprocket too, and that can cause all kinds of grief. Glad (for your sake) you figured it out and at least thought to check that, and then got it fixed.

 

[icpchad]

A really loose chain can jump off the sprocket too, and that can cause all kinds of grief. Glad (for your sake) you figured it out and at least thought to check that, and then got it fixed.

GREAT to read this.

 

[MrDNA]

If you ride a motorcycle, you have to read Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance! You can skip the philosophy, but read everything he has to say about working on your own bike. You'll enjoy the work more, and you'll appreciate that the problem is often not where you are looking. You got hung up on thinking it was a throttle problem, which led overlooking the basics. I think he calls it a "gumption trap" in the book, because they kill your self-esteem when you can get it right. Happens to all of us more often than we like to admit.



Good to hear you got it settled before you had other problems. It's important that you enjoy the ride, so good job on that point.



Happy trails...

 

[assquatch20]

We always run into "gumption traps" and it leaves us a little more prepared for next time. "Zen..." is a good read if you don't even ride, really.



As well, start putting some money back for fresh sprockets and an o-ring chain. You'll need some other little parts, some of which are optional, but look into it on here to get an idea of what all you'll need. Once that's done, adjust and lube regularly. Once I lowsided a few miles from home when I found some gravel that wasn't there earlier that day. The swingarm flung so hard that the chain came off and I couldn't get it back on in the dark. Had to hide the bike and walk home (before I got on the cellphone boat) with a broken ankle and some gravel in my shoulder. That's chain maintenance for ya.

 

[elime]

My service manual says the chain should be between 1.2" to 1.6" of slack. The owners manual says 1.38" to 2.36".



Another way I have heard of is to line up the center of the front sprocket shaft, the pivot point of the swing arm, and the center of the rear axle. When these three points make a straight line the front and rear sprockets are the furthest apart (apogee?) and you only need about 1" slack at this point and don't worry about how much slack there is at other times.



Then, just to muddy the waters, there is the philosophy that looser is better than tighter and as long as the chain doesn't come off it is not to loose.



All I can say for sure is next time around I am getting an o-ring chain.

 

[DRF64]

If you ride a motorcycle, you have to read Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance! You can skip the philosophy, but read everything he has to say about working on your own bike....

"skip the philosophy" somewhere I think i heard a scream from my college philosophy prof! Love that advice. I'm going to reread that book just for the motorcycle wisdom. Thanks! I haven't thought about that book in 30 years!





dan

 

[RockyTFS]

I'm going to reread that book just for the motorcycle wisdom. Thanks! I haven't thought about that book in 30 years!



dan

Me too!! I'll bet it's in the library....seems like I vaguely remember reading it around 1970!

 

[GapRunr]

Thanks for all the advice......next comes a seat pad and possibly bar lift.



Revolverman.

I've got the Pro Taper ATV High bars on my TW if you want to come over and sit on it since I am local.

 

[Revolverman]

GapRunr, I will come see you, I tried to find your shop but must have missed it. I went to google and found out I did not go far enough.



Thanks everyone else, the chain loose really blew me away. I have never seen or heard this before but I can tell you that it sure made me feel like there was something wrong with me or the throttle.



Revolverman.

 

[NumberThree]

If you ride a motorcycle, you have to read Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance! You can skip the philosophy, but read everything he has to say about working on your own bike. You'll enjoy the work more, and you'll appreciate that the problem is often not where you are looking. You got hung up on thinking it was a throttle problem, which led overlooking the basics. I think he calls it a "gumption trap" in the book, because they kill your self-esteem when you can get it right. Happens to all of us more often than we like to admit.



Good to hear you got it settled before you had other problems. It's important that you enjoy the ride, so good job on that point.



Happy trails...

If you're talking about gumption traps and working on your own bike, you haven't skipped the philosophy at all!

 

[Guitarman]

If you ride a motorcycle, you have to read Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance! You can skip the philosophy, but read everything he has to say about working on your own bike.

The title of this book is misleading. I almost finished it as of typing this reply, and I can tell you that "the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" is only 10% of whole content. I'm really disappointed. I like to read about Zen, I like to read about motorcycles, but I feel that's not what I did with this book. Maybe I'm just too dumb and missed the point on the entire thing...

 

[qwerty]

Remember in my recent post, "A little concerned ?" I said there had to be a problem with the throttle because I could not give it gas smoothly. It was jerking constantly and causing me to hurt in my neck and shoulders. I could not understand why the throttle was so touchy, so erratic, so hard to smoothly accelerate.



Well I was at the end of my rope, I knew my age and physical condition had nothing to do with the throttle being so sensative.



I went to bed last night thinking about all the possiblities..........when it jumped out and bit me like a snake.........CHAIN WAS TOO LOOSE !!!!



That was it, and after figuring out how to adjust the chain with these new adjustment levers, it was magic !



100% of the throttle jerking is gone.....smooth as silk, amazing but true. Some may not believe it, but it was instant success.



I checked the chain with a ruler and there was over 2 inches of slack in it. The book call around 1.3 starting.



So I moved the setting one whole notch tighter and set everything else and rode it and it was honestly DAY and NIGHT difference !



I could finally cruise through my yard without these erratic jerking motions from a chain too slack. I was getting jerking accelerating and decelerating.........amazing but true.



I can not tell you how happy I am to figure this out. I was thinking I was an old man who could not control these new "fangled" throttles and only these younger guys who were skilled in the craft (like I used to be) could operate these new bikes........HA...not so.



Any way, I rode for 2 hours after this with no neck and shoulder pain.



I described this erratic jerking from the throttle yesterday in my first post that I erased. It was horrible, there was no control and it was driving me crazy.



Now I can cruise around and it feels like someone installed a set screw on the throttle. If you want to know how this feels there is a simple way, just loosen your chain so it has 2 or more inches of play. You will not believe how it jerks you.



Thanks for all the advice......next comes a seat pad and possibly bar lift.



Revolverman.

"First, do a complete tune and service." How many times have I written that before responding to a troubleshooting question? Even the lowly TW has a very high level of engine performance for the 1960s technologies of its design. Find a normaly aspirated performance car from the period that produced over 1 net horsepower per cubic inch at the drive wheels in showroom condition, as the TW does. Other than a very few amalgamated roadrace and circle track cars, there are none.



I will post methods for fitting your TW in your other thread. I just went through the process with someone about your size. About 95% of people can improve their comfort on any bike by fitting the bike to themselves. Nothing unusual, but often overlooked.

The title of this book is misleading. I almost finished it as of typing this reply, and I can tell you that "the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" is only 10% of whole content. I'm really disappointed. I like to read about Zen, I like to read about motorcycles, but I feel that's not what I did with this book. Maybe I'm just too dumb and missed the point on the entire thing...

Maybe you have a better grasp of reality than most and don't confuse well-developed writing skills with the actual content of the literature? Maybe you're not the type who would be satisfied with entertainment at the price of being programmed?

This book is little more than a rant by a blind goose flying through the hurricane of life, a thinly disguised autobiography of Pirsig's developmental experience as a student of philosophy in which his pre-conceived notions and advanced reasoning were presented as a metaphor of the meaningless lives of a population without significant direction, typical of people who came of age during and following WWII. It is neither a technical manual nor does it express any cogent philosophical principles or reasoning beyond the emotions and self-induced stresses typical of people suffering from afluenza.



However, Pirsig is a skilled writer and dumbed down his literary genius to appeal to his intended audience--those who are easily programmed. Too bad Pirsig, like many other authors with MENSA-level minds, was destroyed by the resentments of those with significantly lower cognitive abilities installed in positions of authority. Oh, well, Hemingway needed such company.



So, are you "... just too dumb and missed the point on the entire thing..."? I don't think so. I suspect just the opposite: you are not dumb enough to be suckered in.