XV920 "Short Bus"

Anyone have a battery tray for a Virago they aren't using? Mine has gone awol and I need one quick.....thoughts?
 
Swagger said:
Anyone have a battery tray for a Virago they aren't using? Mine has gone awol and I need one quick.....thoughts?

I don't have one - check with 'mjpriceisright' here or madhatter on the Virago Tech forum, he's got four or five parts bikes...
 
Re: Re: XV920 "Short Bus"

turbodog said:
I've got some. Virago or XV920R? Not sure if they are the same. Yours for cost of shipping.

They are not
 
Thanks Turbodog, I will let you know. I got impatient and ordered one off ebay but it's a regular 920 piece and may need more adaptation that I want to mess with. Thanks!
 
Finally got my Virago 750 rehab project done, so that's up for sale - now back to this!

After sitting on the plush 920 Midnight seat, I am sad looking at my seat foam glued up:

nwYaO9wl.jpg


...but a sheepskin on longer rides will deal with that. While the adhesive dried, I spent some quality time with my Vintage Connections toy kit and got the ignition wiring done:

YqJziW4l.jpg


Next couple of nights I'll wire in the lighting. Having recently done the harness for the 750 (my first time doing a full harness) I can definitely say that it gets easier with practice! The thing that really got time-consuming the first time was ending up having to go back and redo connections where I hadn't planned for enough splits, or redoing lengths of wire because I hadn't planned for location of components correctly.

Wrapping up for the night, I couldn't help but shave the foam down and check out the bike with my ass-killer mounted - this will get wrapped with leather from a couch that my two-year-old son tried to burrow through.

lazOxkjl.jpg


After riding the XV750 around, I called my pop to let him laugh at me for enjoying riding a cruiser; I think it looks pretty silly but I can see putting a lot of miles on it - and that v-twin engine is my kind of fun! I am not a go-fast rider, not trusting my reflexes to make up for surprises, but the pull off the line on these bikes makes me grin every time.

Not sure if I'll hang on to this bike for a long time or not at this point. There is a possibility that I will take possession of my brother's 620 Monster at some point this summer; if that doesn't happen, though, I can see putting some pavement under this thing for a while.
 
I didn't take many pics tonight, but I ripped the LH sidecover off and put my new starter in. I am very lucky in that the flywheel and the starter clutch have either been replaced in the recent past or this bike was always started with a full battery in just the right crank position - anyone who has ever started (or been within a thousand feet of) a 1st-gen Virago will know that the flywheel and starter clutch have been carefully designed to spray iron filing on to the large magnet that is directly below the whole assembly.

The wiring from the stator is tucked behind the cover in such a way that, even though it's insulated several times, it eventually frays as well; I cleaned that up and applied liquid electric tape in such a fashion that it won't be leaking electrons anytime in the near term.

So at this point I need to check valve clearance and timing, and dump some oil in there, and it'll be ready to fire up. I need to fit a rear brake switch, run the accessory wiring, and it'll be ready for a license plate.

I think I may pull off the Spring Thaw with this thing. Fingers crossed.

cikZkEvl.jpg
 
Couldn't sleep. So I got some brakes done.

Everybody has a favorite method for freeing up a stuck caliper - I like to stuff the business end of a grease gun into the caliper and pump it full of cheap bearing grease. It forces me to clean the hell out of the caliper afterwards - and though I know some people do this with compressed air, I have always been terrified that I would end up putting a hole in my wall that way. Troybilt's Goldwing thread in which he describes almost removing a finger has cemented that terror...so grease it is.

y5W7x4Dl.jpg


Well, I cleaned up the inside, anyway. I'm not detailing shit on this thing at this point - if I keep it, I'll tear it down and paint it this winter.

ui1kkUYl.jpg


Used my 10% discount at DCC to order stainless brake lines and fittings, so that can go back together this weekend. Need to call MotionPro tomorrow and have them put a clutch cable together for me - the stock length is 48 1/2" long and I need a cable with a 36" housing. If anyone knows of a cross-compatible cable that's closer to that length, let me know.

Okay, time to call it a night. Hopefully...
 
I want a chain drive one to play with, thik it would make an awesome street tracker
 
I do think that with some big hoops this thing - or an 1100 swapped in - would be slick.
 
I have an old master cylinder that I can either mount to the bench or use free hand . A variety of fittings and banjo's are nearby in a an old brownie tin . Air for removing caliper pistons ? Not so much . Been there , seen that , didn't have to repeat it for myself . I drove to the ER to get the stitches put in the dolts finger .

By the way those particular calipers are the word's second wost idea for front brakes . I will not work on them . I will not allow a bike in my shop with them on or installed . I will not test ride a bike with them installed . If someone turns their back long enough I will swap entire front ends just to make them disappear . I will not recycle them I melt them myself to make sure . I have my reasons and don't care to justify . They are dangerous , time wasting , ineffective junk that deserve only to be returned to their natural elements and fired into the sun ....

~kop
 
While I certainly look forward to finding out what boneheaded engineering catastrophe you think beats this one, i will repeat as i do about one every six posts that a front-end swap will be in the cards if I keep this bike through the winter. :)
 
He is not telling the truth kop.in fact he was just telling me how kool his friends thought he was with that brake
 
Rich Ard said:
Couldn't sleep. So I got some brakes done.

Everybody has a favorite method for freeing up a stuck caliper - I like to stuff the business end of a grease gun into the caliper and pump it full of cheap bearing grease. It forces me to clean the hell out of the caliper afterwards - and though I know some people do this with compressed air, I have always been terrified that I would end up putting a hole in my wall that way. Troybilt's Goldwing thread in which he describes almost removing a finger has cemented that terror...so grease it is.

y5W7x4Dl.jpg

The most stupidly dangerous fun method I've used involves sealing the banjo bolt hole with a solid bolt and copper washer then heating caliper until piston comes out
It goes off like a cannon
I use grease gun most of the time though, safe enough to be boring
 
Re: Re: XV920 "Short Bus"

bradj said:
He is not telling the truth kop.in fact he was just telling me how kool his friends thought he was with that brake

You're terrible at keeping secrets
 
Rich Ard said:
While I certainly look forward to finding out what boneheaded engineering catastrophe you think beats this one, i will repeat as i do about one every six posts that a front-end swap will be in the cards if I keep this bike through the winter. :)
I bet the one that's worse is the Hurst/Airheart....
 
No progress to speak of this weekend as I was out at my dad's helping him condense his belongings into a 24' truck (not successful, but it was a close thing).

I am ready to start tuning my big Edelbrock flatslide carb, though. I have been wanting a remote fuel tank for a while, though, so while I was out talking on the phone yesterday afternoon I discovered that a 16mm male petcock threads right in to a bottle of Marvel Mystery Oil.

D2A7SkBl.jpg


I put an o-ring on the petcock and threaded it in, cut the bottom off the bottle and put it back in upside down with a pull on it, and mounted it on a beam in the garage. Need to do valves and then we'll see if that carb does its job.

Braided brake line and clutch cable are on as well; somehow I've lost the clip that holds the speedometer cable into the gearing on the front wheel, if any of you XV guys has one sitting around.
 
Back
Top Bottom