Coil Wires

[Barry]

My wires are hard as rocks. They've been trimmed a few times and are getting very short. I was planning to replace them with Accel 7mm wires. How much stuff has to come off to where I can get my hand onto the coils? Do the coils have to be removed in order to replace the wires? I don't think I'm going to like the response to these questions. The plug caps have split grommets, so new NGK spark plug caps are on order. I should have started this project 2 months ago when I bought the iridium plugs.

[Nails]

After way too much fussing with coils (wasn't even the problem I was chasing), I figured out a way to get a socket onto the bolts that fasten the coils to the frame. Or at least one of them, anyway. (My memory gets sketchy after a long time, like a couple hours.)

Note that the two coils are identical, with a reversible cap affair. I mean, the part with the mounting holes is identical, as opposed to symmetrical. This helped me figure out how to get a socket in there.

Doesn't look possible, but it is. I think I used a 3" extension on short 3/8" drive; and had to push on the plastic inner fairing pretty hard.

[Barry]

Thanks Neal. I sent an email to Carl Leo. Good news: I don't have to pull the radiator. Bad news: both outer and inner fairings need to come off. The vxii has been self quarantined for months. Since parts haven't arrived I guess I will just go riding!

[Barry]

Update: Thanks Carl, Neal, Chuck, Bill O and Gene for your encouragement and advice. I tried really hard to not unplug all the wiring on the left side of the fairing. I've got the factory CB there. I finally gave up and unplugged everything to pull the plastic that has the storage pocket. After pulling the inner plastic liner visibility improved enough to get each coil out and perform wire transplant surgery. I did fire it up and it runs noticeably better with new wires, caps and iridium plugs. Reassembly is stalled while waiting for a new LED headlight bulb. I don't want to bypass the headlight low beam fail safe circuit if I don't have to. Hopefully the one I ordered will draw enough current. My clearview windshield which is 16 years old has been shortened 2 inches. It was the tallest and widest one they offered at the time. It was just too tall for me. I'm pleased with how the new edge turned out. It's not possible to determine where the factory edge stops and my new edge begins. I even pulled the vent out of the clearview windshield to do a deep cleaning. You wouldn't believe how different it looks.

[Nails]

You do fix things right.

My CB is long gone, making the left side a lot less crowded.

I got a spare coil with a long wire to carry as a spare, but god forbid I'd have to swap it on the road. I should update my coil wires, too.

I'm skeptical of using that fail-safe circuit without a resister, which defeats the whole point of LEDs. But let me know if it works -- I might be able to put it back. I run auxiliary lights at night anyway. I wish we had a cut-off headlight option.

I finished the edge of the cut windshield with a cheap vibrator sander and about 400 grit. I have super-fine sandpaper from restoring fogged headlights on the car. But I don't see any good reason to go that far with the windscreen -- I don't look through it anyway.

I have two windshields, 9" and 15" (IIRC), exposed above the cowling. My old helmet was super noisy no matter what -- it didn't really make any difference whether I was in the wind or not. But with my new helmet, I can notice more noise with the lower windshields. It's very quiet if I duck the 15" a little, but I still need earplugs if it's in the wind. I mean, I sorta regret cutting the 15" down from 18" or whatever I started with. But on the other hand, the 9" gives a lot less buffeting, and the wind doesn't push on my back. When it's stinkin' hot, I sure like the breeze that runs down the front of my jacket. The 9" wind shear hits about nose high; and the 15" hits about the top of my faceshield.

[Barry]

To finish the edge on the windshield I used a file, then 400 grit hand sanded. Lastly I took a propane torch and lighty heated the edge. My heat gun didn't work well on the pieces of scrap that I used for practice. My new height looks like it will be 22 1/2". Hopefully this will put the top of the shield right at eye level. This then forces good posture to look way down the road, yet allows looking trough the lighty tinted shield. The LED headlight bulb didn't show up today, so still waiting for reassembly.

[Nails]

Sounds like 18" might be perfect for short riders like me (5' 7"). That is, "perfect" for the minimal height that still gives minimal noise. Half that is perfect-er for the cooling breeze and cleaner air flow.

I got a backrest to avoid slumping in the saddle. For rides more than an hour or so, I don't know how I managed to live without it.

If I had it to do over, I'd have left my tall windshield at 18". But I didn't like the top of the windshield right across my line of vision, so I might've cut it down after all. My 15" is for winter, when I don't want a breeze blowing down the front of my jacket. But I really hate my head getting buffeted -- makes my vision blurry. (My test pillion prefers the low windshield for the same reason.) The 18" was definitely worse.

For me, the 9" is still boss for summer riding. Note that I don't have or want a radio that I need to accommodate.

And either way, it's earplugs for any ride more than about 30 min. (I've tried but haven't found a workaround there.)

Compromises and preferences. I think the only take-home is to mod your bike/gear to work best for you.

[Barry]

if I understand you correctly, you're saying you get less helmet buffeting with a 9 inch shield than with the 15 inch????? And your passenger agrees with that???

[Nails]

Definitely. Helmet is in "clean" laminar flow, not turbulent flow. More wind, but less dirty wind.
I think XII are one of the worst for buffeting. I couldn't stand the tall screen.

[Nails]

Barry, see https://youtu.be/vbtnlF4XGso at about 6:00 - 6:15 (buffeting).

[Barry]

That explains why when the vent is open on my Clearview windshield, windshield shake in hi winds is reduced. You've got me convinced. Shorter can lead to a quieter ride. First ride with the shorter shield is tomorrow.

[Nails]

But there will be more wind noise in the helmet. Like I said, my cheap helmet was super noisy all the time, and I didn't notice any difference. But the Nolan ranges from needing earplugs (low screen) to not (high screen). So, earplugs or buffeting, your choice. For summer, it's low screen for sure. For winter, I'm a bit undecided. My low screen is 9" max above the cowling -- I think it would look funny if much shorter.

[Barry]

I don't think I'm going to trim any more off my current shield. Maybe when I buy its replacement I will experiment some more. Your paint and mods look sharp! If you had a short fiberglass antenna on the back it would look like a cop bike. What is attached just above the headlight?

The P.O. of my bike was a sheriff and he put a reflective sticker on the rear of the saddlebag. It sure got peoples attention at night.

[Nails]

Thx.

Maybe when I buy its replacement I will experiment some more.

I hear you. I visited Mr. Jensee a couple years ago, and he gave me a windshield that (he thought) was too scratched up. I had to swear I'd cut it down. I kept cutting it down until what you see. Then I cut my other windshield to 15". (Sometimes I regret that.)

Maybe somebody else has an old windshield they don't want any more, for you to experiment with. (Doesn't matter what condition, since I don't look through it anyway. I'm thinking of painting it black, actually.)

What is attached just above the headlight?

A vent that exits where the radio used to be. My answer to a windshield vent -- when I don't got much windshield.

Don't need no stinkin' radio.

[mayhem8]

I realize this is an old thread, but after having just changed plugs, I noticed the wires are not typical spark plug wires. They have what appear to be a 12 gauge stranded wire in the middle, meaning they will never be flexible like a typical spark plug wire. Being that I replaced the plugs with iridium, I should be good for quite a while. Not sure about a bike, but iridium plugs are rated for 100K miles in a car.

I also posted something in the "Battery Wooos" thread on this.

The highjacked topic was interesting too. Due to my height, I mostly look over my windshield now, but I do notice that this bike catches a fair amount of wind on the highway, which tends to make it more affected by wind than I would have expected from a bike of this size/weight. Not sure how much the cut down windshieled impacts that.

[cranky]

... I just got a new Clearview Shields replacement with vent, they will make you
one custom to your needs.. I think the vent is VERY helpful with relieving
the back pressure.... they are a tad thicker, but nice!!! @250$...

Yeah, I cut mine too short after progressive front springs... sigh...
went on a 13 day trip with a cheap helmet and the noise was real
bad.... I use a modular..

[GrandpaDenny]

... I do notice that this bike catches a fair amount of wind on the highway, which tends to make it more affected by wind than I would have expected from a bike of this size/weight.

The bigger the bike, the more it's affected by wind. Think about semis, 80,000 pounds and 73 feet long, and on a windy day they're all over the place. It's not the weight, it's the sail area - the size of the area exposed to the wind.

[Nails]

I don't even remember what this thread is supposed to be about ... oh yeah, coil wires. Well anyway ...

I notice a LOT less impact from side wind after dumping the trunk. I also use soft saddlebags on the passenger pegs (COG &etc.). The bike romps through the twisties now, wind or not.

I also think the low windshield helps with all kinds of wind pushing the bike around. I think it has something to do with minimizing backdraft -- that wind that blows forward on your back. That "bubble" extends far beyond the rider, more or less turbulently.

I retired from working with river structures. Turbulent flows are much like solid dams: either one will cause water to back up. I mean, turbulent flow is almost like a solid; and I think even side winds can push on it. But honestly don't know for sure.

My current winter/tall windshield (just 12") puts the slipstream on my forehead. My short windshield (9", below) puts my head totally in the wind -- the slipstream is about chin high. Great for ventilation on wicked hot days, but even with a qual Nolan it really is pretty noisy.

However, the biggest benefit is that the air is clean -- much less buffeting.

For me, I ride with earplugs anyway. In the summer I'll gratefully take the wind on my helmet vents; and I sure like not having my vision get blurry from buffeting. The 12" windshield is good for cool weather, but I'll probably buy another one and not cut it down quite so much. (My old cheap helmet was way noisy all the time, but this Nolan is more discriminating.)

For me: gangling crap that catches wind (esp. the trunk), COG, clean air vs. dirty air, and just avoid packing a bunch of heavy crap in the first place ... all moving parts that affect all aspects of handling, including the more routine accident avoidance maneuvers. YMMV