4 simple jobs - 4 simple questions

My servicing today consisted of-
-New brake seals on front calipers
-clutch adjustment
-chain tighten
-oil change
-all round clean

1. I previously had no dust seals on the calipers. After full service, the lever travel seems to have reduced. Is the lever travel before contact determined by the master cylinder? The brake works great, just a bit strange how i barely have to pull the lever before braking kicks in.

2. I had mayo under oil cap and you could see it in the sump. Full oil change and the old oil (1 year / 4000 miles) was very watery. The bike has been used fairly regularly throughout. Reasons for this????

3. I tighten up the chain and then when i have rolled the bike around for a bit the chain seems to return to almost it's original slackness. Very stange, everyting is tight and i gave the adjusters beween 1/4 and 1/2 a turn. I can hear the chain when pushing the bike, is this normal? I think i prefer it loose than tight myself...

4. My clutch bite is fairly far out on the lever, yet on full choke the bike wants to roll forward in first on the clutch. I used Sid Squids gospel guide, but it seems to have made no difference. I don't really understand what the sid squid guide acheives... It seems that i have to adjust the lever and frame adjusters quite a lot, like the cable is too long. Considered a new cable, but it will only stretch!


Thats basically it. I can deal with all of the problems.... it is just that nothing ever seems to go exactly to plan!

[fizzwheel]

Your brake lever should feel like that, sounds like before you had air in the system and thats why the lever travelled along way before the brakes did anything. I dont know how the travel is determined but you have the lever how I would want it.

Mayo on the oil filler cap is caused by two things. A bike that frequently gets used for short journeys and isnt allowed to warm up properly. Or the head gasket has gone. I think the mayo is caused by water but I dont know the technical reasons for it. Keep an eye on it, if you're not doing short journeys and the bike gets properly hot, then your head gasket might have gone, but I think this is quite rare on the SV.

Chain, how did you adjust it, correct way is with the bike on the sidestand, what sort of condition is your chain in, it might be that you have a tight spot in it, so you adjust where the tight spot is and then when you move the wheel round the chain goes slack because the tight spot isnt under tension on the sprocket. ( I think )

To loose and it'll jump the sprockets, to tight and it'll snap... have you got a paddock stand, if so pop the bike up on that and spin the wheel round and see if you can see when the chain goes tight or slack and adjust where the chain is tightest, if its got a big tight spot on it or stiff links, you may want to think about a new chain and sprockets.

Not sure on the clutch issue, but if the bikes creeping forward when its in gear then its not adjusted properly or it might be your clutch is worn, but I'm no expert on these matters so wait and see who else comes along with some ideas.

Bit more info on your bike, milleage etc etc might be useful to.

Originally Posted by fizzwheel

Mayo on the oil filler cap is caused by two things. A bike that frequently gets used for short journeys and isnt allowed to warm up properly. Or the head gasket has gone. I think the mayo is caused by water but I dont know the technical reasons for it. Keep an eye on it, if you're not doing short journeys and the bike gets properly hot, then your head gasket might have gone, but I think this is quite rare on the SV.

My oil is like mayo at the moment too. It started off as just being visible under the filler cap, then went on to being visible in the sight glass.

However, I have no smoke (other than when the engine is cold).

My bike has pretty much solely been used for my 6mile (each way) commute recently. So it's getting an oil change in the next few days.

Nothing to worry about really, so long as you keep on top of it.

IIRC, the water in the oil is caused by condensation build up. If you take the bike for a decent run & let it get fully warmed up, this water is burnt off.

Do you get any smoke out of the exhaust?

when you mix oil and water and shake them up you get an emulsion - this can be just slightly hazy - to really cloudy. if you think about it, the engine components thrashing around can tend to cause the oil to foam a bit - this foam mixed with water will cause the mayonnaise type deposits on things like filler caps - normally the water comes from a number of things - for every gallon of fuel you burn, you produce a gallon of water and some of this can get into the oil from blow by - when the engine is cold, you'll also get condensation forming as well - when the engine gets up to working temperature, the water normally evaporates off - so if you do a reun of say 20 miles or so ( 1/2 hour ) you should have got the engine hot enough to burn off any moisture - 6 miles I'd say is way too short

Short journeys where the oil doesn't get up to working temperature for long are the main cause - and the main reason not to go and start your bike up for 5 minutes in the winter when you're not using it as the water will mix with the oil and this creates strong acids which can attack the internal components - especially if you're not using a good quality oil with a decent detergent / dispersant package .

If you are getting milky oil - I'd suggest more frequent oil drains to get rid of the water / acids - or longer journeys - and use a good quality oil

Spokey

Thanks a lot guys.

The bike is 10 years old, 26,000 miles.

It is used for 5 day weeks to and from work, 8 miles each way.

I had the same problem ith oil last year and didn't worry too much... no sign of a head gasket problem, only smoke when cold on choke. I think this is an sv'ism.

M chain and sprockets are less than 10k old, with a scottoiler all the way. No tight links to speak of... i will just monitor it.


Just the clutch really, i have never been confident in its adjustment. How long do clutches generally last???

Originally Posted by branny

It is used for 5 day weeks to and from work, 8 miles each way.

...

Just the clutch really, i have never been confident in its adjustment. How long do clutches generally last???

There is your problem then. I suggest you move house to somewhere at least 20miles from work.

As for the clutch, mine is still going strong at 36k miles. I've had to replace a clutch cable due to it snapping though.

[fizzwheel]

Your bikes not getting hot enough on your commute, thats why you're getting the mayo in the oil...

Theres a post by Sid Squid somewhere that explains how to adjust the clutch properly. Have a search you should be able to find it.

My commute is 12 miles to uni. Takes 40 minutes...

Home is 20 miles. takes 50 minutes....

my oil - fine.

maybe i should ride faster!

well, i guess in london, there is alot of rpm changes, the engine is at diff speeds all the time, so i gues thats a pretty helpfull thing (given that all the time your accelerating, your generating alot of heat, more so than you do at constant throttle right?)