Four new owner questions

[vic5491]

I just bought a 2009 HD200 that was sold new in November of 2011.  I bought it from the original owner with only 400 miles on it.  Now having ridden it about 50 miles, I have several questions.  I hope some of you with some miles under your belts can help me out.

1/ Gas - Regular or Premium?  I read where an engineer from SYM confirmed that their recommended 90 octane was in fact based on the RON calculation.  Since the US rating is based on (R+M)/2, our regular 87 octane should equate to about 90 or 91 RON octane.  Is it safe to run regular on the HD200?  I do not want to chance running regular if doing so will cause predetonation issues and damage the engine but if it will not, I would like to run regular.  Theoretically, if an engine is designed for regular, it will run better and produce more HP on regular than it will on a higher octane since regular burns faster than premium.

2/ Click in forks?  When I push down on the front end witht he front brake on (rock it to compress the front forks), I hear a distinctive click coming from the front end.  What could this be?

3/ When I brake moderately hard using the front brake only, I get a little shudder in the front end that feels as if the steering head tension may be a little loose.  Could it be something else?  If so, what?  If the steering head tension needs adjusting (tightened), how do you do this?  I downloaded the service manual but did not find anything on this topic in it.

4/ Slight pulsing in rear brake - when using the rear brake, I feel a slight pulsing which suggests that the rear drum may be slightly out of round.  Have others experienced this and, if so, what have you done about it if anything?  At this point it is something I can live with but thought I would ask what others have experienced regarding this.

Thanks in advance for your help!

Cheers,
Vic

[ootscoot]

I use premium in all my bikes. - $20 a month
The clicking most likely from the front brake pads.
Shudder using front brakes only still may be from these brake pads - is that caliper tight?
Rear drum brakes will wear unevenly and pulse - mine had a loud clicking as well. Got quiet after wearing down the bit of metal that was rubbing

[scosgt]

I also use premium. Close to 9000 miles and no problems.
AND always use synthetic oil - many people say that Rotella T6 is the absolute best. If your area gets summer temps over 90, you want to use a 40 weight oil, 5W40 (Rotella) or 10W40 (Mobil One or equivalent).

You brakes may be noisy because they are still brand new.
But on the fronts, take a Q tip and put a little "disk brake grease" on the BACKS of the pads. Do NOT get any on the front. If you do, be sure to use a solvent to get it off.
Most disk brake noises are the result of the piston chirping against the back of the pads. The grease cures that. Just apply it where the piston hits the pads.

[vic5491]

Thanks for the replies thus far.  Please keep them coming!

I am currently running premium as well and that is clearly the safe thing to do.  I was just wondering if regular is safe.  Have any of you run 87 Regular for any extended period with no problems?  Has anyone had problems that were attributed to running regular?

I think you are right that the clicking when I compress the forks with the brakes on is the pads.  I put it on the center stand and compressed the forks by standing on the floorboard without the brake on and there was no click.  Now I need to tear into it to find out why this is happening.  The caliper is tight.  I'll inspect the pad and assembly and lube the back of the pad as suggested to see if that solves it.  Thanks for the tip.

I have two other motorcycles (a Honda VFR800 and a VStrom 650) and run Shell Rotella T full syn in both and have for the last 70,000 combined miles.  A friend who also rode a VFR800 (he quit riding a few years ago) is a retired shell chemist who was involved in the development and testing of Rotella T.  It is the PERFECT oil in a bike with a the engine, gearbox and clutch all sharing the same oil!  Is it popular among the GY6 crowd as well?  How often do those of you who use it in your HD200s change your oil?  After I get a few thousand miles on mine, I may go to it as well.  It is not a good idea to go to full syn too early in an engine's life.  The rings and all need to seat before going to full synthetic.

I'm going to wait a while to see if the pulsing of the rear brake goes away with time.  If it doesn't, I may tear it down and sand the drum. 

Has anyone needed to adjust the steering head tension?  I suspect what I may be feeling is related to the disk pads but it does feel just as if the steering head bearings need to be torqued down a touch.

Vic

PS.  I just got in from a 52 mile ride and filled my scoot to the top before and after the ride.  It took .96 gallons to fill it again to the same level (see gas sitting in the fill neck) so I got 54 mpg.  Is that about right?  This was on backroads with a fair number of stops, some traffic and running 50-60 indicated a good bit of the time.  What do others get on the road on longer trips running 60-65?

[scosgt]

Always add an ounce per gallon of SeaFoam to the gas. It will keep the carb and valves clean and stabilize the gas. As well, it eats water, a big concern in small engines.
I change my oil every 500-700 miles. I guess I am just a fanatic. Gear oil usually twice a riding season (way too often, but a bottle will last longer than I will it takes so little). Do not overfill. Get a small measuring cup, drain the gear oil and see how much comes out. Then put back in the same amount. I think the fill amount is printed right next to the fill cap. Do not overfill. I use a syringe that is meant for mixing oil and gas in a 2 stroke engine. I think the correct fill amount is 110ml. You will see that is almost exactly what comes out as well.

Just lube the brakes and leave them alone. Your bike is not broken in. MPG will improve with miles ridden, and with synthetic oil.

[scosgt]

One other thing. Since your bike is a 2009, you need to be concerned about the tires and belt. Rubber can crack and deteriorate as a natural process. The tires are easy to inspect. If you see cracks, replace. The belt might be a concern as well. You might want to inspect it for cracks.

One thing you can do for the front end is install RIDE-ON (www.ride-on.com). It is a sealant that prevents blowouts. If you get a nail, the tire will hold air and get you home. AND it balances the wheels! I even use it in my Honda Civic! Make sure the buy the motorcycle product, not the car one.

Installation is a breeze. Just deflate the tire, remove the valve with the included tool, plug in the included hose, squeeze in the recommended amount, replace the valve, put air back into the tire and ride. The stuff works. I got a nail on the way home, which of course came out of the tire leaving a hole. I rode for about seven or eight miles with the ride feeling a little mushy, finally stopped and looked and there was the yellow blob covering the hole. Of course, a bunch of air came out when the nail exited. I always carry a small Slime electric pump (plugs into the socket I installed) and I simply pumped the tire back up and rode home.
Of course, I had to replace the tire. But the ride on saved me from a blowout (which could save your life at speed). And it does automatically balance the tires. I have had the Honda well over 80 and no shimmy at all.

[scosgt]

And don't forget to install an HID headlight and LED tail light!

[ranimal]

I put top tier gas. A habit taken fom the sportbike days.

I'll try that SeaFoam that scosgt suggested.

[ut1205]

My HD has 6,500 miles.  I have never used anything but "regular gas". My personal opinion is that "premium" is a waste of money.  I do put about 2 oz of Seafoam in every 5th or 6th tank.  I kept track of all fuel purchases for the first 4,000 miles.  My average MPG was 72.  The miles I get on a "tank" are still the same so I assume the MPG has not changed.

I change the oil every 1200 miles with Mobil 10W30 Synthetic.  I use Valvoline 85W140 in the final drive and change it every oil change simply because you can't check the level without draining it.  Refill with 100 ml.

[scosgt]

If your summer temps go over 90, consider 40 weight oil in the summertime. 30 weight starts to break down at about 90 degrees outside temp.

[Happy Old Scoot]

For changing gear oil, I picked up a cooking syringe -the type you inject juices into meat with from the cooking section of the supermarket.  Has a cc scale on the body and fits great into the iddy-bitty bolt hole in the transmission.  No mess.

[scosgt]

For changing gear oil, I picked up a cooking syringe -the type you inject juices into meat with from the cooking section of the supermarket.  Has a cc scale on the body and fits great into the iddy-bitty bolt hole in the transmission.  No mess.

Same as what I use. Mine holds 50 or 60cc.

[vic5491]

Ok, today I removed the caliper and pads, sanded the pads, put anti-vibration material on the back of the pads, greased the contact points with brake grease and checked the steering head torque.  The problem was clearly the steering head torque.  It was too loose.  With the bike on the center stand, if you rolled the front wheel backward a touch, you could see and feel the looseness and hear a click.  Retorqued the steering head bearings and the problem is gone!  Took it out for a test run and the front brake has better bite with no shuddering in the front end now!  It also seems that the pulsing of the rear brake is going away. 

To change the gear oil, I bought a 60cc syringe at Walgreens for $0.39 and put 100ccs of Valvoline 85W140 gear lube in.  The person who said his takes 50-60ccs is asking for trouble.  The manual clearly says 110ccs capacity and 100ccs at time of change.

I am a believer in Seafoam as well and plan to put some in every 3-4 tanks full. 

This coming Saturday I am going to make a 120 mile run and will check my mileage again in non stop and go traffic. 

The tires and belt are in good shape!

Thanks to all for your thoughts on all of this.  I'm interested in hearing from anyone else who has run regular for an extended period.  I strongly suspect that it is fine and, if it is, you will get both better performance and better mileage from it.  Until I have heard from more than a few, however, I will continue to run premium since doing so is the safer thing to do.

Cheers,
Vic

PS.  Any other HD200 riders in the Atlanta area?  I am in the northern burb or Roswell.

[scosgt]

The person who said his takes 50-60ccs is asking for trouble.

I said THE SYRINGE takes 50-60cc

Reading comprehension please.

[Northpilot]

Howdy, Vic!  I hope you enjoy your HD as much as the rest of us.  I'm the guy who wrote SYM to ask if Regular gas meets spec.  <http://symforum.com/index.php?topic=1819.0>  As you can see, I got an unequivocal answer from the factory that US and Canadian regular DOES meet spec and will NOT damage the engine.  I do not believe, however, that running regular will improve mileage.

I used regular (regularly) for about 8000 miles, with no problems.  I tend to think that, just as with other engines, there is no advantage to running a higher grade of fuel than the manufacturer requires.  I can see, however, from earlier comments, that some very informed owners and riders disagree.  If you have any concerns, the prudent thing to do would be to run premium, for a few cents more a fill up.

With me, it's a matter of principle.  Maybe we're talking 'apples and oranges', but over a 40 year career flying piston and turbine aircraft, I got in the habit of following manufacturers' fuel recommendations to the letter.  Of course, those using Premium are also following recommendations to the letter, since Regular OR HIGHER is specified.  So, really, it's your choice, either grade should be OK.

Glad to see that your other glitches have been worked out.